Our featured potter for this week is Justine Allison, who runs Justine Allison Ceramics in Wales. Her works are positive simplicity, free of distractions so you can love the material as deeply as she does. We’ll step back and let her describe her work for you. You can follow her on her web site or on Facebook.
Click to see a larger image.
Since leaving college in 1998 I have been working solely with hand built porcelain- creating semi functional pieces. My work addresses the boundaries between function and decoration. I look at objects that are used on a daily basis; like the form of a jug and create pieces that move away from function and are more concerned with the aesthetic and the visual.
My work is very much concerned with the simplicity and beauty of the clay and incorporating pattern and texture as well as glaze to create subtle, unique variations. Thinness and movement are very important in each piece.
Click to see a larger image.
I am also fascinated by the transforming effect of light on the physical properties of porcelain. When a simple object is illuminated from within, subtle details become apparent and an ‘atmosphere‘ is created that transcends the object’s mere functionality.
‘She tends to create work in groups which can be displayed together. Each piece is individual and deliberately asymmetrical. This results in pieces which, while of the same family, have their own subtle differences.’ — Jill Piercy, Welsh Table, Ruthin Craft Centre
Click to see a larger image.
Click to see a larger image.
I grew up, worked and lived in a busy part of London, and my work reflected that, as I drew inspiration from city life, (buildings, streets, windows, sounds). I now live and work in rural Wales, and encounter a different range of stimuli and exciting new chapters of exploration are opening up every day.
Text (edited) and photographs courtesy of the potter.
Do you love or loathe these works of contemporary ceramics? Let us know in the comments.
Click to see a larger image.
Click to see a larger image.
Allison’s work is amazing! Her lines and pieces are clean and very
appealing to the eye. The exactness and preciseness are wonderful to behold. I wish I knew how she has achieved such thin, clean lines.
Being a UK resident, it appears to me as though she has been
highly influenced by Japanese pottery, and that is of curiosity to me.
I would love to know more about her…or to see if she has made any
YouTubes or videos of any kind. Thank you for sharing her work.