Katharine Morling is a London-based artist who has been making ceramics since 2003. The objects she creates all have the distinctive look of illustrations that were pulled off the pages of a story or comic book and given a Z-axis. Once the ceramic object is created, Morling fleshes out the detail with an ink-like black, drawing in details such as screws, upholstery or stitching.
The artist explains further:
“My work can be described as 3 dimensional drawings, in the medium of ceramics. Each piece, on the surface, an inanimate object, has been given layers of emotion and embedded with stories, which are open for interpretation in the viewer’s mind. When put together, the pieces combine to make a tableau staging the still lives of everyday objects. The life size pieces and the unexpectedness of the scale create a slightly surreal experience as you walk through this strange environment. I work very instinctively, one piece leads to the next, I try not to pin down what I am doing or even why. I have to trust and believe that I can communicate through this medium. My searching is never complete; each piece is a journey for answers that are only hinted at, with more questions.”
Her work has appeared in exhibitions at the Royal College of Art, the Royal London Children’s Opera House and at the Royal Opera House, all in London. Most recently, in 2013 Morling received the British Council and Arts Council Engliand Artists’ International Development fund award. She received her MA in 2009 from the Royal College of Art and teaches as part of the Crafts Council Hothouse Mentoring Programme.
Above image: Ceramic matchbox and matches by Katharine Morling.
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Illustrative ceramic creations by Katharine Morling.
Wonderful calligraphic quality to the line as it describes details of very familiar 3-D forms.
Brilliant!