Martin has always been fascinated by the Japanese idea of ‘beauty in imperfection’ and he takes huge pleasure in exploring the simple vessel and everything that it represents. In his most recent work, Martin takes a nuanced approach to the simple clay forms of jars and bowls as he reflects on what a major cultural change it must have been when we began to store and share food in those simple forms. Other new work grows in geological like layers, sometimes with quartz and precious stone or glass-looking inclusions – overlaid as if by running lava.
“What I am looking for in my work… lies in the essential beauty of individual pieces, which is subjective, difficult to define, control or repeat and has something to do with chance and coincidence.”
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Adam Frew works in porcelain, creating thrown functional and large one-off pots. He revels in the spontaneity of throwing, the speed of production, seeking to reflect this energy in his distinctive mark making. These marks are continually evolving, but are always energetic and confident.
Adam works in contrasts: of lines or washes, glazed and unglazed, blues and oranges or reds and more recently, applied ridges. “A sense of energy has always been central to my work. Working with the clay in a way that is fluid and quick, and doesn’t require much reshaping.”
Charles Bound ‘s work is unconsciously influenced by significant periods of time spent in the USA, Africa, and the UK. Loose and elemental, it reflects the rugged landscape of Wales, particularly of the farm environment where he lives and works today.
Akiko Hirai makes largely functional ware using the Japanese tradition of allowing the clay itself to show the way in which it wants to be fired. She tries not to control her materials but to let them and the unpredictable environment of the kiln dictate much of the resulting shape and colour of her work.