Akiko Hirai at The Contemporary Ceramics Centre

'I make, so people describe, asymmetrical, imperfect and organic forms in ceramic ware for domestic use.  These words become a clichéd description of some types of oriental ceramic ware, and mine.  Yet, it does not explain why beauty manifests itself in such controversial forms.  Imperfection itself is not synonymous with beauty.  Beauty in imperfection only applies when it shows flexibility and balance between objects and their environment.  My practice over the past 10 years has been a journey to create this balance in every day objects.'  Akiko Hirai

 

 

 

 

En Paris

French material journeys...amassing, decaying, renovating, storing, delivering, developing, protecting, transporting...but also (a sad one) loosing.  One miss-guided Parisian Gallery baggage room decision saw me part company with my much loved and much travelled SLR camera, prompting a Gendarmerie visit to report the theft.  I am left with only the pictures taken on my HTC mobile...not quite as crisp but still a good record of the things that caught my eye...

 

   

  

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A knit from the past

I met an old friend a couple of weeks ago...a tiny jumper that I knitted for Mathew, then, the newborn son of a relative of mine... he is now 25!

I remember kitting the jumper, pre-ceramicpatchwork, pre-me-being-a-knitwear-designer, pre-degree, pre-foundation even.  I remember ad-libbing, working with no pattern.  I was impressed, Hickory-dickory-dock the mouse ran up the clock was knitted as a boarder running down the front, round the bottom then back up the front, numbers were dotted over the body and the raglan sleeves were fully fashioned.  All these design details I'd forgotten, but what I had remembered was the stuffed mouse that ran up the sleeve - squashed, but still perky after all the years.  The piece had been much loved as evidenced by the washed felted words.

Thank you Joanne for enjoying it, saving it and bringing it to the Mall Galleries to show me.  Mathew, you were too young to protest, but I hope you enjoyed wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it!
It is  ready for when grandchildren arrive...

Material treats at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

As interesting as ever, the Great Northern Contemporary Craft fair provided lots of material enjoyment.

The contemporary woodturner Kylie Coles was showing unique decorative pieces using layers of recycled magazine pages and died veneers combined with wood.  The conical forms had a very contemplative mood and beautiful colouration. "As a craftsperson I reveal the qualities of my chosen materials through the woodturning process, paying close attention to the fine balance between artistic control and serendipity".

Kylie Coles  www.kyliecoles.co.uk

Naomi Robinson's ceramics were pure pleasure, hugely sophisticated in terms of colour and form.  I loved the rawness of the removed sections and the discreet use of text.

Naomi Robinson  www.naomirobinsonceramics.co.uk

Naomi Robinson  www.naomirobinsonceramics.com

Naomi Robinson  www.naomirobinsonceramics.com

Anna Pullan uses the Dorset Button weaving technique to create textured porcelain forms.  She covers found items with a decorative woven structure which can take up to 30 hours of intricate knotting to complete. The form in the photo started life as a 1970s candlestick.  Having completed the textile stage, she then takes a mould with which to create porcelain forms.  She enjoys the unexpected shifting of threads that cause irregularities in the patterning and which are evident in the final porcelain pieces.  A very different combination of ceramic and textile processes to my Ceramic Patchwork, but another example of a traditional process adapted to make contemporary statements.  Loved them!

Anita Pullan Contemporary Ceramics

Anita Pullan Contemporary Ceramics

Finally, this playful reusing of chest-of-draws draws caught my eye and made me smile.  Kay Rudge's work focuses on the transformation of forgotten furniture into bespoke unique pieces.  Her playful approach is beautifully captured in her blog!

Kay Rudge  www.kayrudge.blogspot.co.uk

A Smashing Discovery

 

A smashing discovery!  Thank you to Angela Linforth, Editor of Homes & Antiques for selecting Ceramic Patchwork as an 'Antique of the Future' at the Contemporary Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey this summer.  It was such a pleasure to talk upcycling, vintage finds and Scottish island adventures with Mary Jane Baxter and spend another equally fun day photographing with Sarah Cuttle.   Thank you also to Marc Allum for his expert endorsement - I love that he has a collection of riveted ceramics...

The reach of Homes & Antiques is amazing... people far and wide have spotted me already... and its only been on the shelves for a day!