Ceramics

Andrew Bull has been in business for over 25 years. His work is based around small figures and animals depicting the lighter side of life. Each piece is handmade in porcelain, being fired three times, firstly in a bisque, a glaze and finally a lustre firing. Originally inspired by Heath Robinson cartoons Triple Decker Bus and Two Wheel Car , the figures have now evolved into their current form. His interest in ceramics started at the age of nine when attending saturday morning classes in Grimsby. Following a foundation course he attended a three year ceramics course at Rochester college of art and design in Kent.

Lea worked at Dartington Pottery for two and a half years before opening her own workshop in Totnes. Her work is based on thrown stoneware pieces which she decorates with strong, rhythmic abstract designs, often suggesting sea or sky - movement and energy. She is fascinated in the exploration of creativity and science, and the development of new glazes, requiring a mixture of experimentation and close observation over time.

Olivia Brown lives and works in West Yorkshire. She graduated from Manchester University in 1999 with a first class honours degree in Contemporary Crafts and set up her studio at home. She has held exhibitions throughout the UK and also worked on a number of highly prestigious site specific installations Her dogs are totally individual pieces, and while the form is important, she is more intent on capturing the unique character of each one.

Rob’s pieces go through a Raku firing process that means each piece, like a fingerprint, is entirely unique.Raku firing is an ancient Japanese technique. It encourages hairline cracks to appear in the surface of the glaze by subjecting the pots to extreme changes of temperature during the firing process, and immersing them in sawdust, giving an amazing sense of texture. When the pots are at a very high temperature and the glaze has melted they are taken out of the kiln and thrown (gently!) into a metal container filled with sawdust. The heat of the pots quickly sets the sawdust alight at which point the container is closed. Once the fire uses up all of the oxygen it starts to draw it out of the clay, which is when tiny cracks begin to trace their way randomly across the surface of the pot, leaving unglazed areas blackened. Pots are further enhanced after firing by the use of gold leaf. The vivid colours and textures of Rob’s work give it a raw and intense feel that has led to hi

Linda's work is instantly recognisable. Her pieces are hand built, multi layered and multi fired - often up to 7 times - superficially naïve, and sometimes gloriously dysfunctional in the tradtional sense. The viewer/handler is invited to respond on an emotional level as opposed to intellectual level. She has exhibited in the V&A Museum and designed for Terence Conran. Lecturing at Falmouth College of Art, we are very privileged to have this highly acclaimed ceramicist exhibiting here at Oriel-y-Felin.

2002-present. Living near Pwllheli, N. Wales. Selling to galleries in Wales and England. All his work is completely hand made without the use of any moulds so each animal is an individual one-off. They are fired on a variation of the Raku method which means that after the first biscuit firing the glazes are applied before they are repacked into the kiln. In the second firing they are taken up to red heat to melt the glazes then at this point they are taken from the kiln and plunged into a heat proof container with sawdust in the bottom which is then sealed to exclude the air. This brings out the glaze crackle and adds lustre to the surface.

Jenny primarily works in porcelain to explore the interdependance of water and geological change - both sharing the same free spirit, and continually changing its condition. It is rarely pure, containing minerals, debris, contaminants, defying unnatural pressures to be tamed. She was recently awarded an Arts Coucil Fellowship and spent time in China where her work is on permanent display in China's first international ceramic museum.

Underlying the development of Tim's pottery, has been the simpleelief that simple, classical beauty of form csnnot be improved upon. Careful throwing to achieve a balance of shape reflecting that ideal is followed by raku firing techniques which introduce the exciting element of the unpredictable. The result is a harmonious marriage of graceful form with subtle variants of texture and colour in the raku glaze.

Dan produces hand thrown earthenware pieces, which are covered in white and coloured slips and hand drawn transfers screen printed in black enamels. He is inspired by English slipware and 1950s Ridgeware ceramics, particularly the homeware range. He has also been influenced by the Italian designer P. Fornasetti. He produces work that relates to either function of the object or the locality of the area. He likes to combine traditional and modern techniques in a contemporary way. Dan has exhibited nationally and internationally, and at the Royal College of Art.

After five years studying at SDerby College of Art and a teaching career, Hilary is concentrating exclusively on sculpture in her Darley Abbey studio. Intrigued by the elusive hares she sees on local walks she photographs and sketches them, also using the stuffed animals and birds at Calke Abey, as a rich source of information. This collection of birds focussed attention on their feather structure and inspired studies of roosters. Their vanity and ostentatious display has led to a series of sculptures embellished by bright glazes and metallic effects. Each piece is fired to 1040 degrees C and decorated using under glazes, glazes and metallic oxides. Gold is also sometimes applied. Her work is time consuming and each piece is totally unique.

Having read English Literature at Bristol and teaching at Cambridge, Catherine developed her love of decoratve arts. On meeting Pemrokeshire ceramicist, Simon Rich, she applied this to ceramics using lustres of real gold, platinum and copper and mother of pearl. Her pieces are fired 4 times to produce these special effects. She is inspired in part by Gustav Klimt and symbols from the ancient world and the orient. Her work has been exhibited and collected internationally.

Cardiff based ceramicist, Jan Beeny, makes one-off slab built animals. The clay is impressed with random objects, giving a rich variety of textural effects, which is then stretched and distressed before being allowed to partially dry and then bent and folded to form the final piece.Slips and oxides then glazes stain the surface. Jan exhibits widely throughout the UK.

Sarah Perry gained her degree in ceramics at Camberwell School of Art where her most influential teachers were the Bauhaus inspired potters, Licie Rie and Hans Coper. Her inspiration comes from seascapes and landscapes and textures found in nature. Intensely coloured glazes and metallic lustres are used in simple forms, either wheel thrown or slab built. In the nineties her work was sold in Liberties, Heals and The Conran Shops in London, Paris and Tokyo. In 1995 one of her pieces was auctioned at the American Craft Museum in New York.