New Members of the Craft Potters Association | Sue Gunn

The Exhibition

Contemporary Ceramics: How has your work grown or changed for this exhibition?

Sue Gunn: My practice has evolved gradually by developing new glazes and changes in the form, but for this exhibition I wanted to increase the scale of my work, especially as it will be shown in such a prestigious gallery space. Although these pieces are more technically demanding, they are also more rewarding to make. I did have to borrow a larger kiln to fire the tall candelabra so it was quite a challenge transporting it at the greenware stage.

On Inspiration From Personal Experience

Contemporary Ceramics: Your work was sparked by your husband’s heart surgery and the resilience of the human circulatory system. How do personal experiences like this continue to influence the themes and forms in your sculptures?

Sue Gunn: The forms I make echo veins, vessels, and internal structures, but they are not literal. They come from an ongoing fascination with how the body and nature adapt and reconfigure. I’m currently looking at the themes of Flow, Obstruction and Rerouting.

On Parallels Between Natural and Biological Systems

Contemporary Ceramics: You draw comparisons between the circulatory system and natural networks like rivers and tree roots. How do you translate these complex systems into the shapes, textures, and glazes of your pieces?

Sue Gunn: I spend time observing the dendritic patterns in nature; how they branch, repeat, overlap, and flow. Those rhythms are what I translate into form. The shapes grow intuitively through a slow, physical process of building, adding, and refining, much like the way natural systems develop over time.

On Themes of Fragility and Transformation

Contemporary Ceramics: Your glazes evoke molten lava, dried earth, and melting ice, reinforcing environmental fragility. How do you decide which visual elements best convey the balance between strength and vulnerability in each work?

Sue Gunn: I test glazes and textures until the balance feels right, allowing strength to come through in the structure of the form, and vulnerability to emerge in the surface. It’s in that tension between solidity and fragility that the work feels most vital.

On Growth and Development

Contemporary Ceramics: How has your practice changed over time? What has been a seminal and/or inspirational moment?

Sue Gunn: My practice has evolved slowly and organically over time, but returning to education is a seminal moment for me. I’m currently in the last year of a BA in ceramics at Morley College, where I have been given the time and space to question my instincts, take risks, and develop a more confident sculptural language. This period of learning is allowing me to think more critically about material, scale, and process, and I am being encouraged to strengthen my practice both technically and conceptually.