3 contemporary female ceramicists – Britain

 

 

 

Vivienne Foley

 

Vivienne Foley makes hand thrown, classical and abstract porcelain’s displaying clean lines and a multitude of  shapes.

“The excitement and challenge for me is to produce flowing forms from a process fraught with technical difficulties. I try to factor in all the variables knowing that during drying, glazing and firing, the works will take on a life of their own, and that no two are ever the same.”

 

Vivienne-Foley green melon ceramic vessel

Green melon pod vessel – Vivienne Foley

 

 

 

Vivienne-Foley-limited-edition-print red flower in black vase

Vivienne Foley limited edition print

 

 

 

Vivienne Foley-sculptural porcelain art - black and white vase combo

Vivienne Foley sculptural porcelain art

 

 

Vivienne Foley, Bird Form, bronze sculptural vessel

Vivienne Foley, ‘Bird Form’, bronze

Vivienne Foley’s bronze sculptures are a recent development of her best known works in porcelain, a medium she has worked in for over forty years. By moving between porcelain and bronze she introduces the contrasting nature of her materials and challenges our perceptions of both.

 

 

Vivienne-Foley-Black-Butterfly-Vase-porcelain wide lip

Vivienne Foley  —  ‘Black Butterfly Vase’ of porcelain

 

 

Limited Edition Prints---Vivienne Foley pink flower in white vase

Limited Edition Prints—Vivienne Foley

 

 

Vivienne Foley-Connected Form number-3-Triple-Balance-H-61cm-Unique

Vivienne Foley – ‘Connected Form number 3′

Height 61 cm

 

Vivienne Foley-black Boat Neck vase-Height-30cm

Vivienne Foley — ‘Boat Neck vase’

Height-30cm

 

Bunch--Vivienne-Foley three long neck white vases

‘Bunch’ –Vivienne Foley

 

 

Vivienne Foley-black porcelain corrugated-vase

Vivienne Foley – black porcelain ‘Corrugated Vase’

 

 

Two asymmetrical neck corrugated vases at Vivienne-Foley exhibition

Two asymmetrical neck corrugated black vases —  Vivienne Foley

 

 

Limited Edition Prints---Vivienne Foley Yellow flower in black vase

Limited Edition Prints—Vivienne Foley

 

 

Vivienne Foley-pair of vases with wide asymmetrical lips

Vivienne Foley

 

 

Vivienne Foley-limited-edition-print of single purple flower in blue vase

Limited Edition Prints—Vivienne Foley

 

 

Vivienne-Foley-Ridged-Spindle-Form-ivory-crackle-glazed-porcelain-32cm

Vivienne Foley  —  ‘Ridged Spindle Form’ ivory crackle glazed porcelain

32cm height

 

 

Vivienne-Foley-sculptural-ceramics - combined group of white free form vases

Vivienne Foley sculptural ceramics

 

 

Flame-by-Vivienne Foley vessel with wavy neck

 

‘Flame’ by Vivienne Foley

Height 52cm

 

 

Vivienne Foley Tall Forked Vase-ivory-crackle-glazed-porcelain-44-cm

Vivienne Foley ‘Tall Forked Vase’ -ivory crackle glaze porcelain

44 cm height

 

 

 

Ingrid Saag

 

“I never tire of portraying the female form, which I often use when I explore themes of romance, love, lust, and other human emotions and feelings through poetry and other written material. The poetry of Pablo Neruda has been a huge inspiration in this area. On the larger work the painting and poetry is sometimes carried to the inside of the pot. Another favourite subject has been the use of simple abstract patterns, such as checks or stripes, a perfect way to indulge in my exploration of and play with colour. This developed from my habit of testing every new material in different ways and combinations on test tiles which are like mini abstract paintings, which act as inspiration for future work.”

“Clear, vivid colours, an integral feature of my work, were probably instilled into my psyche during my childhood growing up in the tropics. Colour has a powerful therapeutic action, which can have a healing and rebalancing effect for both the artist and the viewer. Although my medium is ceramics, my work has drawn more from painting. On some of my more complex painted larger vases, I can use more than 40 different colours. Landscape and the natural world can also be a starting point for some of my designs.”

 

instagram  @ingridsaag

 

Ingrid-Saag - Swing vase illustrated with couples dancing

Ingrid Saag – ‘Swing’

2012

Ingrid Saag was born and grew up in Georgetown, Guyana. She trained in illustration at art colleges in London and Brighton. This led to a busy career for some 20 years as a freelance illustrator in publishing, packaging and advertising. In 2003 she began working with ceramics.

 

Ingrid Saag 2012.-Dora Maar vase

Ingrid Saag  — ‘Dora Maar’ vase

 

 

Ingrid-Saag-vase-blond girl-in-bikini

Ingrid Saag vase blond girl in bikini

 

 

Ingrid_Saag-ceramic-vase lady wearing bird hat

‘Mandarin Duck Lady’  —  Ingrid Saag

 

“Most of my work is at present made in moulds that I have designed, by casting with Limoges white earthenware casting slip. Some pieces are altered after removal from the mould. On some work, I paint with a combination of coloured slips, underglazes and glazes, using brushes, pens, pencils and chalks. A semi matt or glossy transparent glaze is sprayed on to finish. Other work may simply be decorated with brush on glazes.”

 

 

Ingrid_Saag-spring--flower-vase

Ingrid Saag

 

 

Ingrid Saag ceramic vase with Picasso style motif

Ingrid Saag – ‘Dora Maar’

 

 

Ingrid_Saag-nude-woman-vase

Ingrid Saag nude woman vase

 

 

Ingrid_Saag Mango Pickers vase - lady carrying mangoes on her head

‘Mango Pickers’ – Ingrid Saag

 

 

Ingrid Saag -- The Three Graces - nude females in the garden

Ingrid Saag — ‘The Three Graces’

 

 

Ingrid Saag-2012-Lindy Hop Party

Ingrid Saag  —  ‘Lindy Hop Party’ vase

 

 

Jngrid_Saag-ceramic-bowl Seated Nude

Ingrid Saag  —  ‘Seated Nude’ ceramic bowl

 

Ingrid Saag-ceramic vase - Isabella

Ingrid Saag  —  ‘Isabella’

 

 

Ingrid Saag at an exhibition

Ingrid Saag

 

 

Ingrid Saag standing nude woman vase

Ingrid Saag vase

 

 

Ingrid Saag Lady in Red,-2007

Ingrid Saag —  ‘Lady in Red’

 

 

Ingrid Saag - Irises vase

Ingrid Saag – ‘Irises’

 

 

Ingrid Saag-Salsa,-dancing Salsa couple

Ingrid Saag – ‘Salsa’

 

 

Ingrid-Saag -- The Queen,-2008

Ingrid Saag — ‘The Queen’

 

 

'Two-Nudes' vase--by Ingrid Saag

‘Two Nudes’ vase by Ingrid Saag

 

 

 

Sophie Cook

 

Sophie Cook graduated from Camberwell School of Arts in the late nineties with just the original bottle shape in a range of matt turquoises. Since then, a full spectrum of colours and finishes have been developed as well as the emergence of the teardrop and pod shapes. The basis of her technique is classical wheel throwing and turning. She works clay with engineering precision, joining thinly made sections to attain height. It is most unusual to find these construction methods used with porcelain because of it’s high shrinkage and lack of plasticity. Foley’s work is unique because she incorporates these techniques and yet retains the finest qualities of the material.

“My bottles, pods and teardrops are about colour and form. They work well individually and in groups. my ideal is for them to be seen as a 3-dimensional still life that, when viewed from different angles, create new relationships between the pieces.:

“Every piece is a challenge to make as porcelain is such a fluid medium on the wheel. I throw four pieces a day, which are left to dry for two days and are then carved to refine the shape. After drying for a week, they are bisque fired to 1050.c. The glaze is then sprayed on and they are fired to 1260.c. rarely, if ever, do all four pieces survive the carving and firing processes.”

 

Sophie-Cook ceramic contemporary vases by three

Sophie Cook ceramic contemporary vases

 

 

Sophie Cook ceramic contemporary vases in a decorative set

Sophie Cook contemporary vases

 

 

Fifth-Element-Sophie-Cook vase display

‘Fifth Element’ dining with Sophie Cook vase display

 

 

Sophie Cook contemporary vases in turquoise and lime green

Sophie Cook  —  vivid colors in lime and turquoise with matt glaze on contemporary vases

 

 

green ceramic bottles-Sophie-Cook

Long neck ceramic bottle cluster – Sophie Cook

 

 

Madison Hotel-Sophie Cook white bottles

Sophie Cook white bottle display — Madison Hotel

 

 

 

Sophie Cook squat purple vase

Sophie Cook squat purple teardrop vase

 

 

Sophie Cook with her colorful vases

Sophie Cook

 

Collection of white porcelain vessels by Sophie Cook

Collection of white porcelain vessels by Sophie Cook

 

 

Two canary yellow ceramic bottles - Sophie Cook

Two yellow ceramic bottles – Sophie Cook

 

Sophie Cook porcelain bottles

Sophie Cook porcelain teardrop bottles

 

 

Orange and white ceramic bottles -- Sophie Cook

Elegant ceramic bottles  —  Sophie Cook

 

 

Contemporary and vintage porcelain wares

Contemporary and vintage porcelain wares  —  Sophie Cook

 

 

Sophie Cook - porcelain bottles on the mantle

Sophie Cook – porcelain bottles on the mantle

 

 

Two blues bottles - Sophie Cook

Sophie Cook

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. Emma
    Posted March 2, 2018 at 8:37 am | Permalink

    I love this stuff and seeing the many things e can do with pottery this page gives me life

  2. Iuliana
    Posted March 6, 2018 at 1:58 am | Permalink

    Thanks Allison! Yes he loves it !

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared.