Craig Mitchell

After studying glass and ceramics at the University of Sunderland, Craig completed an MA in ceramics at the Royal College of Art. He was drawn to clay for the immediacy of its modelling properties, enabling him to realise his ideas with dynamism. His work is inspired by the elegance of a bygone era, particularly the work of cartoonists and illustrators from the 50s and 60s such as Miroslav Sasek and Ronald Searle, whose economic use of line define characters and tell stories.

Craig’s figures are constructed with flat sheets of clay that are cut using paper templates specially developed for each piece. He builds each component separately before joining them together. Colour is added to biscuit fired pieces using brush on glazes, lustres, and transfers.

Craig’s figurative sculptures are intended to be visual puns about the human condition. Narratives are based on his personal experiences and cultural observations. His characters explore events in contemporary culture as well as universal themes such as love, loss, and the different roles people play in society. At the core of each work is a message, such as: ridiculing conspicuous consumption, pretentious behaviour, or reacting to new technology. Craig transmutes a nostalgic enjoyment of the vintage to create contemporary fables in clay.