Anna was a previous MA student and then a lecturer at UCLan. Invited by Dave, she kindly came into the studios to talk to us when I had just started the MA, and subsequently gave took part in the Arts and Media Friday Lecture programme. You'd think she'd had enough of us but no - like the star she is, she joined a Teams meeting last Thursday to answer questions. Anna had outlined her career path to us, describing her training, influences, memorable advice (good and bad) and the development of her practice. She hand builds in earthenware and uses coloured slips made from stains and oxides. She is influenced by the local landscape around her, the natural world, climate change and environmental concerns, and uses her library of sketches accumulated over many years. She described her path from functional wares such as these, made by coiling, pinching and modelling through slab building and more landscape vessels with texture and complicated forms and using the slips in a more abstract way to these more recent pieces with much simpler shapes, using the pot as three dimensional canvas . This also allows her to alter the design as she goes along. Anna's work is very different from my current MA project but she was generous in sharing insights and knowledge -all of that always comes in handy! She made some comments which resonated with our group's discussions: "Its important for all artists to connect with people.......thats the point of art" When asked to elaborate she explained that the work needs to be seen in order for it to be taken forward and that " its deadening not to get any feedback" "Make what you enjoy ...and be prepared to say no to commissions that you dont want to do" During the MA she experimented "a lot" with colour in slips and now has a library of annotated test tiles. She has settled (as I have with glazes) on a combination of commercial stains and oxides. People can be put off by climate change messages - they like it kept light. At present she seems to be using grey a lot but thinks that as Covid restrictions lift, people need cheer and will want brighter colours. Memorable (positive) advice she handed on : start by approaching the best galleries with your work - they can only say no. More practical tips:
Thank you Anna!
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AuthorI am indulging my passion for ceramics by undertaking studies for an MA at UCLAN Archives
August 2021
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