A L I S O N W E S T
C U R R E N T W O R K
K I R S T Y A D A M S
Kirsty Adam’s work is both functional and holds aesthetic meaning, retaining the spontaneity and delicacy intrinsic to making on the potters’ wheel. A Japanese comb tool is used to create and enhance the throwing lines. Her Icelandic collection is the culmination of a research trip to Iceland to express the ‘otherworldliness’ of the landscape.
Kirsty is an award-winning ceramicist currently working from her studio in Newcastle upon Tyne. She originally trained at Brighton Art College and then on the potters’ wheel in Japan. She has developed a personal approach to throwing on the wheel using porcelain clay, to produce unique pieces for the home.
Exhibitions and Events
Being Human
6th March - 19th April 2020
C U R R E N T W O R K
Edward King
Devon, UK
Edward King is a Plymouth based ceramic artist working in stoneware clay, oxides and reactive glazes. His practice centres around notions of destruction, the urban environment and the inherent absurdities and contradictions this brings. The works created are reactionary and performative in their construction, allowing each piece to stand by itself.
Edward is a director of Ceramexe CIC, a non-profit ceramics Cooperative based in Exeter, Devon. Recent exhibitions include London Design Week in Chelsea Harbour, Devon Open Studios and Studio Nine Totnes.
Edward holds a BA (Hons) in Art History & Japanese Culture from Oxford Brookes University.
'Armada Tree', stoneware, h. 28 x dia. 23 cm
Do you plan each piece in advance or do they develop intuitively?
"My work is predominantly a reaction to my environment or something I have encountered. I live close to Dartmoor National Park and the sea and these feed into the textural qualities of my pieces. I have an outline plan of what I want to achieve, but it is the element of the unknown that excites me when I am creating."
Do you listen to anything as you work?
"When I am creating my pieces I am heavily influenced by the sounds around me. As my work responds to the juxtaposition between urban and rural environments, I have a playlist that combines classical, ambient and heavy (usually German) techno music."
How important is tactility to your work?
"The tactile nature of my work is everything to me. I create pieces that have a genuine connection to my local environment, be it the rough pebbledash of a house or the texture of Dartmoor granite."
Tell us more about your recent series, when did you begin this and how has it developed?
"My most recent series of works centres around the felling of over 100 trees in Plymouth city centre. It felt like an opportunity to reflect what has been lost and what remains. As a result, my work has become darker and more aggressive in its appearance."
