Influenced by crafted objects from both our modern history and antiquity, I try to achieve a clarity of line and form that is mirrored by an elegant functionality.
I work principally with stoneware clays for their strength and durability. Mixing different clays to combine their natural colours and textures and occasionally using their liquid form - in slips - to add decoration and subtle pattern.
Quickly thrown and trimmed, the pots then undergo a slow, careful process to be completed. Using a variety of traditional methods: building by hand to create composite pots and sometimes returning to the wheel to paint, carve and decorate, the pots are then left to dry slowly before firing and glazing begins. A selection of glazes are chosen to accentuate or obscure the textures and tones of the clay beneath.
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Celebrating simplicity and functionality
wheel-thrown tableware and objects
Jo creates functional ceramics for the home. Primarily focusing on tableware, her ceramics are an exploration of refined, pared-back forms, thoughtful design and a minimalist aesthetic.
Drawing inspiration from ceramics and our wider domestic craft heritage, Jo reworks traditional forms to produce carefully balanced objects that are both beautiful to contemplate and pleasingly functional to use.
Formally a student of History of Art, Jo is a devotee of the historical object not just in museum collections but also those recorded in paint and print. A love of the statuesque nature of man-made objects depicted in still life paintings of the Dutch Golden Age and Italian Renaissance, has indelibly influenced the aesthetic she brings to her ceramic practice.
The majority of Jo's work is produced on the wheel at her studio in North London, with more complex forms finished using a variety of hand-building techniques. The surfaces of the pots are often carved, enhancing the glaze surface and also the tactile nature of these forms, designed to be held. A combination of stoneware clays and simple glazes form the basis for natural, monochromatic tones.
Jo graduated from University of Leeds in 2007 with a BA(Hons) in History of Art. She currently lives and works in London.