Gillian Highland

Gillian B.A..  I re-opened my workshop in 2010 on a full time basis in order to create individual hand made pieces, either for the table or sculptural pieces which could be used outside.

The process of making pots encompasses the core elements – earth, fire air and water. I use clay in an attempt to express my sense of being part of life. lt is a necessary expression of my natural creative forces.  My work design and decoration ls inspired by the landscape in which I live.

There is also the theme of balance, the moon phases and the sun, the inevitable cycle of day and night and the balance of positive and negative.  This is the essence of every day life and greatly influences my perception of my work.

I enjoy the muted subtle colours of reduction stoneware and use a small palette of glazes to enhance the strength of form. My raku pots are a new investigation to try to capture sunrise and sunsets and find the depth of colour in the lustres as inspirational, so further investigation is ongoing.  Slab pots are a means of carrying a landscape decoration. This is often inlaid with coloured contrasting clay, which I hope encompasses some of my core ideals.

Time is the enemy, relentless, uncompromising and inevitable. Always present is a sense of urgency to put into three dimensional form that which is seen in the inspiration of creativity. The frustration is never quite managing to achieve the original idea. There is always a huge flow of ideas from the initial inspiration, to focus and peel away the layers and find the core is the aim and to realise perfection.