Margaret Curtis
2026 – Taking part in Potfest Scotland – Scone Palace Place and Potfest in the Park – Hutton-in-the-Forest
My first engagement with clay was on the potter’s wheel and it was using that method of creativity that enabled me to gain a proficiency in making a body of work. In the past, I may have for instance thrown a board of beakers, each one perhaps a little different to the rest, the board would be put to one side and when appropriately stiff enough they would be trimmed – perhaps the following day.
As time has progressed and my work has become more individual in nature then my process of making has changed accordingly. Most of my work still originates from the potters wheel but now I complete each piece of work in one session – it’s thrown and manipulated whilst still on the wheel-head, stiffened with the flame of a gas torch and then wired off, trimmed and taken to the bench for the application of textures and slips. This way of working ensures a continuity and allows for my attentions and intentions to be modified in response to the progression of each individual piece. My interest lies in nuances and imperfections that cannot be forced but are best when they evolve naturally. When I observe something developing naturally, a fractured surface, a texture, an undulation of line or an unexpected area of interest emerges I can allow my procedures to accommodate that so that each piece possesses an individual character, so essential to my pursuit of work that has it’s roots in the imperfections of nature.
My current body of work is the antithesis of the mass produced and immaculately mastered, and as such seeks to avoid perfection.This is where my interest lies, with the beauty of imperfection, a beauty that can be from ageing, from natural decay, from surfaces that have become patinated with wear, weathered or uniquely deformed.