Heather Muir

My work explores making thrown forms in Porcelain. My aim is that my pots have a function as vessels and that they stand in their own space as I hope aesthetically pleasing tactile forms.

I use porcelain clay for its purity, whiteness, strength and translucency. I throw the porcelain as thinly as possible and then turn the pot on an electric wheel. Surface decoration that is integral to the form is my aim and I develop this either through carving or fluting.

For my tea-lights I use a resist technique for the surface decoration. I brush decorative marks in an acrylic medium to the bone-dry clay. When that is dry, I reduce the thickness of the wall by sponging away the clay with water. This leaves the resist pattern as a raised texture on a thin translucent wall. The way light from a candle inside a vessel, reveals the surface pattern through a translucent pot wall, adds an extra dimension to my work.

I either leave parts of the pot unglazed and polished, or apply coloured glazes. Colour is an experiment with matt and shiny fluid glazes, in blues, greys and turquoises. The unpredictable fusion of clay and glaze keeps my passion for making alive.

I studied 3D Design: Ceramics at Bath Academy of Art in 1980. I have always been passionate about ceramics but my career went in a different direction into primary education. I now teach part-time which allows me time for making ceramics in my studio at home in Chichester, West Sussex. The coast and landscape and the work of other potters are great influences on my work.

Work Telephone Number: 07969 816960

Home Telephone Number: 07969 816960

Mobile Telephone Number: 07969 816 960

Website: www.heathermuirpottery.com

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