MAKERS | EUROPE | UK | CERAMICS
Sophie Wilson | Ceramicist
Sophie Wilson’s idyllic home in the Dorset countryside doubles as the creative sanctuary for her '1690' clay workshop, where she crafts her authentic – and so wonderfully hand-made – sgraffito pottery. Adorned with nature's motifs, folklore, mythical beings and woodland creatures, her ceramics, which she fondly refers to as "impressionist ceramic sketches," evoke the spirit of traditional slipware of a time long past.
How did you begin?
My mother always encouraged me to draw and create, specifically wild flowers from local walks, which I would bring home to identify from books. I just loved drawing - I remember being very small, perhaps only 4 years old, sitting in darkness in bed with colouring pens and a drawing book at night. I was constantly making things as a child. I studied Fine Art at Edinburgh University and worked in the brand and communication industry when I graduated.
After my fifth child was born, I opened a shop in part of my home at that time and began making ceramics. Creativity is a seamless thing for me, it’s not simply a studio or workshop endeavour, it extends to all aspects of life: play, cooking, gardening, loving.
How did you learn?
I was introduced to clay by a fabulous ceramics teacher when I was studying at A Level. He was a stylish man, a bon vivant who took pleasure in revealing the possibilities of art and design to his students: we visited ceramicist Kate Malone’s studio in London and he even turned up with David Hockney one day after meeting him at the train station and persuading him to come to speak to his students. There really were no constraints in his classroom, providing one had the ambition. I had unfinished work wrapped in bags all over the studio, as I flitted from one project to the next, hungry to try new techniques. His response was always a wry smile. I made contact with him again recently - he is still exhibiting, still experimenting in clay, still with that ageless sparkle, no doubt.
I studied Tapestry at degree level at Edinburgh College of Art, which was part of the School of Fine Art, so I was able to explore all sorts of disciplines; drawing, sculpture, textiles and installation. The course was perfect for me because the focus was on how an idea can be woven through different disciplines or media. I concentrated on form and surface decoration, making sculptures in paper and creating pattern and surfaces. Whilst I didn’t work in clay at that time, everything I experienced enabled me to work with confidence and fluency and again, visits from artist such as Eduardo Paolozzi, arranged by the head of department, bolstered my ambition and sense of professional scale.
Who or what most influences your work?
I would say Matisse is my biggest influence. I have always loved his paintings. From a favourite photograph I have, taken on the tube en route to an exhibition, I realised that I had done my best to dress for Henri on that occasion, in splashy stripes and oriental prints, a pair of lemon yellow shoes with scalloped edging, even my jewellery created dauby details - all very painterly. It occurred to me that I was imitating his two dimensional style in my own three dimensional life, and this is what I try to mimic in the work I produce now: a personal interpretation of ceramics seen through the eyes of the great master. My works are really impressionist ceramic sketches. A loose memory of something that exists on canvas.
How do you plan, prepare, and create?
I embark on an enormous amount of research before touching clay, I love the process. I collect a huge amount of imagery which builds a digital sketch book of reference and ideas, then read or refer from relevant books, to galvanise my understanding. I typically construct the work in paper, adjusting the scale and dimensions until it feels right. I can experiment with surface pattern on these paper samples before committing myself to clay and glaze. I take photographs of work in process and adjust my designs from sheet to sheet. By the time I pick up clay, I have a thorough understanding of what the piece looks like in my mind, from every angle. The work in clay begins with templates and flat sheets of terracotta, which are built into structures over the course of several days and weeks, stage by stage.
What is a typical day?
After my children have set off for school, quite often I will return to bed, I’m a great napper. I try to have an hour in my garden at the start of the day, to get my blood going before I begin in the studio. At any one time I have several projects in varying degrees of completion, so I have to prioritise which needs my attention first and get cracking. I listen to music or pod casts in French while I am working, burn sandalwood and drink tea.
My working day seems very short - my children return from school before I know it and so begins the evening routine: clubs, music lessons, homework and cooking. When they are tucked up in bed, quite often I will return to the studio and work for a few more hours. Having a studio at home maximises my productivity, but does mean I have to very consciously remember to stop working.
One more thing… An object you’ll never part with?
My youngest son’s umbilical cord.
A new maker or artist whose work excites you?
@hugohamlet - a maker in the sense that he is creating an attitude of societal awareness that is entirely uncynical, playful, reverent and full of wonder. He’s creating a movement his own.
The career you’d be doing if you weren’t a craftsperson?
I would be writing.
Interview by Lucrezia Lucas
Images from James Beck, Sophie Wilson and Cabana
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