Ruth attended art school in Manchester in the 1960’s, but followed a different career and only returned to ceramics four years ago when she retired. She has been working in three areas. Pots based on the shapes of Foraminifera and Echinoderms, large handbuilt pots mainly for the garden, and thrown domestic wear.
Foraminifera and Echinoderms
"I love the intricacy of these natural structures and the challenge of representing their often very complicated shapes in clay."
Forams are the microscopic shells of large single celled protists, which after death settle in the sediment of the ocean floor and are one of the things that form limestone. They are a vital part of the biological cycle that removes carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater and are now being adversely affected by global warming,
Echinoderms are a group of animals that include star fish, sea urchins, sand dollars and blastoids.
They normally have five-sided symmetry and are found in every ocean, but not on land or in fresh water. They have the ability to regenerate limbs and organs and to reproduce asexually. They are also a major contributor to the formation of limestone, so many large man made structures are built from rock formed by these creatures.
Hand Built Pots
"I like working on a large scale and have been making bird-baths and jardinières based on the shape of cooling towers whose shape I find very beautiful. Also I am making large spheres with apertures for planting. I like to use mixtures of coloured glazes and volcanic glazes with ash to give unpredictable effects with bubbling and runs in the glaze."
Domestic ware
"I am making bowls, mugs, tea light holders and goblets that are functional and I mostly use a combination of two contrasting colours on them highlighted with white ash Nuka glaze. Some of them also have the bubbling volcanic glaze."
Ruth's work will be on show during ArtWeeks at
St Andrew's Church in Headington
