Product Details

Glazed terracotta slipware.

Size approx: 26 x 26 x 3cm (10.2 x 10.2 x 1.2 inches)

Decorative plate, hand wash only (no dishwasher).

THE STORY

Emma Carlow is a multimedia artist, based in Sussex.  She uses her research based practice as a lens through which to focus on subjects that interest or concern her.

The set of plates Emma has made for Plates Please, are inspired by a visit to the European Pottery gallery at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. In particular the ‘slip-trailed’ work on display from makers such as the 17th century potter Thomas Toft (below).

Following this visit, Emma felt compelled to work with slip trailing, an ancient technique which is the application of lines of slip (wet clay) to a dried clay surface using a fine-pointed dispenser, popular in 17th century Europe. The resulting terracotta plates are a set of characters from an imaginary village in ancient Sussex. 

Like players in a play, we have fools, horses and a group of abbesses, all coming to life with Emma’s expressive use of slip clay. The expressions of the portraits, in particular the eyes, are wonderfully rendered and surrounded by mysterious symbols, dots and zig zag lines.

Her unique focus allows her to interpret her discoveries in order to tell new stories and create alternative realities. Emma often works with clay, embroidery and print making, inspired by folk traditions, romanesque churches and medieval manuscripts.

She shows her work regularly, both in solo and group exhibitions and is a founding member of the Scherzo collective. Her work has sold internationally through the Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy.