Rose Ellis

I have made things from clay since I was a young child, and love the tactile squidginess of the material. I was fortunate to attend a school where art – making was central to our education. My sculptures depict creatures, humans and natural forms in a stylised way, and I fire them to stoneware or using the raku technique. I usually coil the form and then carve away and add clay to arrive at the final sculpture. I like raku firing as it causes crazing and pitting to the surface of the work, which gives it a stone – like quality. For my stoneware work I use layers of slip and oxides which result in an ancient look. There is control in the making process and surrender to chance in the firing. This keeps my interest alive and challenges me to learn from failure and to rejoice in success.