Janie Pridham

A recent graduate of Carmarthen School of Art, I am interested in ceramics’ ability to engage with social issues, allowing each topic under consideration to shape my approach to making. 

My current work comments on homelessness in the UK, with a focus on people who find themselves living on the street. The pavements where the unhoused sit, the tents where they sleep and the hostile architecture preventing access to benches and shelter, become geometric shapes, lines and patterns in my sketchbook.

These initial sketches are simplified digitally, before being transferred to slab-built stoneware tent-like forms using traditional potter’s tools and stencils. Layers of dark and white slip, occasionally underglazes, clear glaze and decals, add complexity to the surface. My previous work was coloured in tent-like blues and greens, but a move towards a more sustainable practice and concerns about mining of oxides and ingredients in stains has led me to use uncoloured slip in my more recent pieces. 

instagram: janiepridhamceramics

email: janiepridhamceramics@outlook.com