A word from Barry...

"I came to ceramics later in life after a career in retail, I have always been interested in drawing and mark making and when I discovered ceramics at an evening class I was seduced by the possibilities of clay as a way of expressing abstract ideas of colour and form.  I completed an HND at my local college in 3D design and was lucky enough to be accepted on the Ceramics degree course at the University of Westminster in Harrow.  It is here that I was encouraged to really explore and develop my ideas. I have work in various galleries in the UK and abroad and have taken part in many ceramic shows and exhibitions, I’ve also done some teaching and technician work.  My studio at home is now the place that clay, colour and my ideas come together.

My intention is to use the vessel forms that I make; loosely thrown and altered on the wheel or constructed from slabs, as vehicles to explore contrasts of light and shade, hard and soft, warm and cool, rough and smooth, I’m interested in the way edges meet and overlap, and the rhythms, tensions and harmonies created between colours, spaces, lines and textures in form and surface.  I tend to work in series influenced by natural phenomena, places, and emotions, developing ideas from drawing, painting and previous firings.  The surfaces are created in layers, firing in between using thin washes, wiping back and building up rich zones of colour.  I then glaze chosen areas to add further depth, tone and texture."