Mary Stephens

I love working with clay, exploring its qualities and developing my skills. I came back to throwing five years ago, retraining myself, learning to working in different clays (not just terracotta), to pull handles, to glaze, to turn etc. and I feel very lucky to be able to combine working with clay with teaching yoga.

My thrown domestic ware, is designed to be simple but elegant in form, whilst being functional. Its important to me that they are a pleasure to use and functional enough for every day use. I often part glaze the work to allow the qualities of the glazed and raw ceramics to add a subtle design and tactile quality of the piece.

My figures are inspired, in part, by my training as a yoga teacher. Celebrating the beauty and strength of the human form and spirit.

Where as, my landscape forms 'Mother Nature Series' are inspired by landscape that has been sculpted by natural forces, such as glaciers. Their inspiration came from the peaks in the Brecon Beacons and our local Clee hill. I enjoy smoke firing my work, because of its' unpredictable nature and beautiful patterning. Smoke firing brings the piece to life in a way my mark making would not.