Deiniol Williams

Deiniol‘s ceramic practice explores the dichotomy between rhythm and discord, and balance and disorder. By bringing together raw and unrefined materials and incorporating them into the clay, he seeks the harmonious point between the rhythmic flow of the potter‘s wheel and the disruptive and chaotic inclusions within the modified clay.

Having grown up on a farm in rural West Wales, Deiniol has a strong connection to land and place which literally led him to take elements of the earth and incorporate it into his work.

Many of the stone inclusions and materials used are either collected from the hills of his ancestral birthplace in Wales, or from the surroundings of his current studio in West Yorkshire. These inclusions are mixed into the fabric of the clay whereby the act of throwing becomes a very careful balancing act between the heavily grogged clay’s tendency to tear and collapse, and the control needed to create the forms.

During an intense wood-firing, the use of very fluid glaze coatings heighten the movement in the work and counterbalance the splits and cracks that appear as the inclusions distort, melt, and tear the fabric of the work apart.

Ultimately, Deiniol is interested in creating ceramic forms that push the boundaries of what the material is capable of. He celebrates the faults and as a consequence, aims to challenge the viewer‘s perception of what a ceramic form could be.

Profile photo by Jessica Howell.