2024 – Taking part in Potfest Scotland – Scone Palace

I design and make ceramics both sculptural and functional. The first and most important element is the material, its colour, textural qualities and often with the addition of local found materials. Growing up and living in Northern Ireland influences my work greatly, I use simple materials, found in nature and in industry like Pebble’s, worn bricks or trees as a starting point. Each one, symbolic of a different time or emotion in my life. Through the exploration of these materials, I am trying to show a sense of growth, embellished evidence of a story of what conditions they have survived. The weathered state of these materials wood, pebble or brick I feel show great resilience and character. In my use of clay as a material I have always been driven to create unique forms and textures, earlier in my career expressing myself through figurative hand built sculpture and in recent years, a pursuit of combining my two passions ceramics and food and presenting these together in collections of tableware. The development of these aspects of my life and work has resulted in me creating a unique style of making on the wheel. I throw with a mixture of clays, include the addition of foraged local materials and use bold marking throughout. These techniques combined with a controlled level of uncertainty in firing process result in unique work that I feel has integrity, for me they tell a story of where they came from, how they have become and give a suggestion of resilience.

www.pauldalrympleceramics.com