I am a ceramic artist working with clay and mixed media, creating works and compositions guided by a sense of narrative and steeped in the context of my local surroundings. My work includes sculptural work, hand-built wall pieces and thrown vessels, made in porcelain and stoneware and mixed-media.

My wall pieces combine found materials along with hand built ceramic objects which aim to blur the boundaries between the made and the found. These works are complemented by a range of vessels, thrown on the wheel, in porcelain and stoneware with mixed media additions. On a larger scale, I have also developed outdoor sculptural works that are informed by and embrace the landscape.

Finished in a muted colour palette, all of these works are informed by colours and tones found in the landscape of the South Downs; featuring deep flint blacks, through soft grey stony glazes to ghostly chalk tones.

Every piece I make is different and my ideas are constantly evolving. I value individuality and integrity in my work, putting care and a sense of personality into each one.

I work and teach from my studio on Ditchling Common in Sussex.

I have an MA in Ceramics from UCA Farnham and am an alumni of the Crafts Council’s Hothouse talent development programme. I have worked as a Lecturer on the BA Ceramics course at the University of Brighton as a short course tutor at West Dean College and Forest Row School of Ceramics alongside developing my practice at my studio in Sussex.

I have run projects funded by Arts Council England, by a-n Artist Bursary and by the Quenington Sculpture Trust. My work has been featured in Ceramic Review  (Jan/Feb 2020 issue 301) and I have written articles for a number of publications.

Email: elaine@elainesheppardbolt.com

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