Nancy Murgatroyd
"Working with clay to shape and form thoughts and ideas."
I am fascinated by a task which completely transforms a material making it useful, decorative and sometimes thought provoking. A lump of clay moulded into shape by hand, fired and decorated, creates a link to endless items formed from the earth over centuries.
My first serious encounters with art and craft were at Bideford School of Art and led me to a degree in fashion and textiles, a career in both fields, colour forecasting, painting, design management, print making, teaching workshops and owning a gallery.
My cream stoneware pieces are a blank canvas upon which I draw images reflecting whimsical ideas of mystery and imagination. Using a Sgraffito technique, with slips, underglazes and engobes, I have a satisfying freedom of expression. It is a joy to be interpreting a traditional North Devon technique in an approachable and contemporary way.