Fiona Newby
2026 Taking part in Potfest in the Pens Penrith – Spring
I am a hand builder who creates unique forms from coiling clay, a beautiful white clay that is transformed into sculptural forms. My latest pieces have been an exploration of emotions, how they contrast, how we try to hide our genuine feelings. The clay twisting expresses this contradiction, sculptural möbius forms, where the outer surface becomes the inner and vice versa.
My Mother Earth forms take their inspiration from the curves of the female form, how women’s bodies evolve throughout the cycle of pregnancy, the arch of the back, the blossoming stomach, the true miracle of a delicate new life growing.
Burnishing or polishing the clay is my therapy, using crystals and spoons to shine the drying clay’s surface, finally, achieving a beautiful sheen. I apply no glazes in my work; I use smoke and combustibles in my saggar or naked Raku firings.