Micaela Schoop
2026 – Taking part in Potfest by the Lake – Compton Verney and Potfest in the Park – Hutton-in-the-Forest
My ceramics are meticulously hand-painted and visually linked through their distinctive and elaborate surface patterning.
My work includes hand-built sculptures, plaques and traditional wheel-thrown vessels and focuses on form and surface – patterns and meanings.
The forms of my sculptures are purposefully ambiguous in the hope that their biomorphic and tactile qualities have an intuitive appeal. My hand-painted patterns add extra layers of meanings.
I draw my inspiration for the surface treatment from research into ethnological patterns and international and historical ceramic traditions. My intention is to sensitively fuse diverse distinctive elements with different origins to create new work which questions assumptions about cultural identities. I add QR, Binary or Morse codes to directly reflect and comment on specific current issues and explore ideas relating to human communication.
Each piece of ceramics is unique as I spend hours decorating them. I use a variety of different coloured stoneware clay bodies and employ different decorating techniques such as underglaze painting and water-etching.