Fiona
Thompson was educated at York College of Arts and Technology
in Foundation Studies and then gained a BA (Hons) Degree in
Ceramics at Edinburgh College of Art in 1994. She has taken
part in several solo and group exhibitions both nationally
and internationally. Along with a number of specific commissions
Fiona Thompson has also had her work featured in various publications,
including 'The Potter's Guide to Ceramic Surfaces' by Jo Connell
and 'Ceramics and Print' (2nd Edition) by Paul Scott.
Fiona's
work focuses on the vessel and its intentional non-functionality.
She creates a contradiction; making something, such as a teapot,
that cannot actually be used, playing with scale of the handle,
lid or spout. She intends each piece to be viewed as a visual
and tactile object in its own right, looking beyond the assumption
that a vessel should have some sort of function. These one
off forms range from vessels to bowls and cylinders to plates.
All
Fiona's work is slab and coil built and made from grogged
white earthenware or white stoneware clay. Her main emphasis
is on the surface of a piece; once forms are constructed,
the imagery is built up through layers of brushed and mono-printed
slips. Text is juxtaposed with areas of matt white, incised
lines, glossy glazes and very tiny sections of photographic
imagery.
Her
work is currently inspired by travel and tourism; in particular
the way in which places are represented through imagery and
text. Notations and collected visual material such as postcards
and photographs are gradually absorbed and reinterpreted through
her ceramics.
This
showcase will accompany 'Expect the Unexpected', and exhibition
focusing on designers who use a wide range of ordinary materials
to produce something out of the ordinary. The concept of Fiona's
work will compliment the exhibition wonderfully!
