SUE URE CERAMICS

Clay and it’s wonderful capacity to be transformed into beautiful and useful objects, got to Sue very young. Immediately, the wheel and throwing became her speciality. Her current ranges are a distillation of many years as a maker and some rather diverse sources of inspiration, which have remained constants in her thinking and aesthetic choices - starting with ancient ceramics and Minoan, robust yet flowing, jugs through to Bauhaus, utility designs and more modern Finnish tableware designs.

Sue moved from her native London to south-west France 27 years ago, something that has certainly influenced her work; the hotter climate and brighter light has an extrinsic bearing on how she uses and appreciates colour. This was undoubtably one of the elements that made the Tate come to her for a collection of textiles and ceramics for their major Pierre Bonnard exhibition of 2019.

Sue has always been preoccupied with outlines or profiles and where she lives; big landscapes with a dramatic backdrop of the Pyrenees, a clearly delineated view.

Although she has a big garden, she doesn’t manage to spend as much time gardening as she would like, but it’s a space that she loves being in and is massively important to her. At this time of year (Spring, her favourite season) she is drawn out of the studio several times a day, checking out what’s about to flower, to watch and listen to the birds and talk to the chickens - or to discourage them from exploring what she’s just planted!

If you’d like to see more of her workshop and working environment, please take a look at her YouTube channel here