Jenny Sutton Kirby

I use stoneware in the main, with the occasional foray into porcelain.

Mostly I work with thrown forms and enjoy the friction between discipline, intuition and spontaneity that this technique demands.

My work is domestic in scale and use, although more recently I have been working with more decorative/sculptural ikebana, torii and tsubii forms. Torii echo temple arches and tsubii are small ‘closed’ forms.

I love soft matte glazes, which I associate with warm, worn stones, although I love to add some bronze. I want my pots to be handled and used and so the tactile quality of the glaze is important.

Over the last year or so I have been developing my own glazes and find this challenging and exciting – even if there is quite a bit of chemistry involved! Glazes rarely do what you think they will and, as with much of ceramics, you learn to embrace the inherent jeopardy; acknowledging learning and seeking serendipity every time you open the kiln