Inspired by a Chinese bottle gifted to her as a child, each piece Carolyn makes assumes its own identity with the application of transferred decoration. Collected imagery and text tell stories from lives past and present centring around the human condition from significant to trivial. Through tearing and cutting the storytelling becomes abstracted. Visible fragments hint at the narrative creating new meanings.
"Borrowing from historic ceramic tradition on closer inspection my process gives each piece a contemporary twist. The eclectic shapes and surfaces stand alone, or work in harmony when grouped, capturing the gaze and allowing the viewer their own interpretation."
Despite its idiosyncrasies and difficulties, Carolyn is drawn to porcelain. It's fluidity and elasticity on the wheel keeps her energized and able to create individual pieces of work. Her shapes are often dictated by the feel of the porcelain clay that she uses but she is particularly captivated by the bottle shape. Carolyn's work is hand thrown and slip cast in her space at Wimbledon Art Studios.
Carolyn graduated from Camberwell College of Arts with a BA (Hons) Ceramics in 1998 and is an associate member of the Craft Potters Association and a Council member of London Potters charity. In addition to her own practice, Carolyn is involved with social enterprises working alongside adults with mental health illness and learning difficulties. She believes passionately in the role that expressing creativity has in maintaining our positive mental health.