Loretta Braganza

Loretta began her practice in ceramics via a career in graphic arts, textile design and sculpture. During pregnancy, she found working on sculptural forms too heavy and moved across to ceramics. That was the start of her fascination with the medium as it allows her the freedom to explore her enduring passions of form, colour, texture and mark-making.

Her work balances process, material and idea – creating individual pieces that can be seen singly or in familial groupings. Basic forms are used to articulate and energise both inner and external space. Forms are pared down to essentials with taut edges, clean lines and complex mark-making combining aspects of the archetypal with the unfamiliar. Mark-making is deliberate, invigorating the form with deceptively simple surface patterning.

The surface decoration is achieved using a combination of coloured slips and underglaze colours. Conventional painting techniques are adapted resulting in an unexpected fusion of colour and patina. Finely etched rhythmic patterns are created reminiscent of woodcuts and hieroglyphics. Textures with their colour variations are linear, beaten and marked with heavier surface indentation creating depth and variation.

Loretta’s work is in public, corporate and private collections in the UK and abroad.