by Elspeth Keith
I was born in Scotland many years ago and my childhood was spent in the beautiful North East. My family lived only five miles from the sea on the Moray Firth coast.
Like many other artists the main influences on my work are landscape and especially the seashore – the marks, cracks and fault lines created by the weather on the land. I find great inspiration in organic shapes – seed pods, shells, pebbles and rocks.
I create my pots and forms by hand building, layering the clay, often allowing the clay’s natural inclination to define the outline and outcome of the pot’s shape. I use a variety of clays - white stoneware which takes colour well - a heavily cranked stoneware which produces warm toasted shades when high fired (1260) in an electric kiln. By using slips and oxides I try to add depth and tone to my pieces and can produce volcanic surfaces by adding sodium carbonate to some of the glazes.
The wonderful thing about clay, for me, is the way it allows me to create such a diversity of shapes, textures, images and impressions. I enjoy every discovery that comes with every new pot.
I am a member of Herts Visual Arts Forum and take part in the Open Studios event which they run each year.
www.hvaf.org.uk
I work from a workshop at home and I have started to show and sell some of my work.
You can see some of my work at :
Palace Green Gallery, Stable Yard, Hatfield Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 5NQ
www.palacegreengallery.co.uk/
The Art Nest, 4-5 West Alley, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 1EG
www.theartnest.com
Upstairs Gallery, 268 High Street, Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, HP4 1AQ
www.upstairsgalleryberkhamsted.co.uk/