Contemporary Ceramic Artists

A New Dynamism in Ceramics

Contemporary ceramic artists are not necessarily the same breed as contemporary ceramic potters.

There is a distinction - which is important to us here at Ceramic Fusion.....

A modern potter can very well be defined as a fine artist (using clay as the medium, rather than canvas or installations), but there are many UK ceramic artist today who are not potters, and may not even know how to throw a pot.  Their work is to do with ideas or visual menology which just happen to use ceramics in the making.

Ceramic designers are different again.  No less important, their work is to do with delighting the beholder, not necessarily to do with uncovering and exploring more immersed philosophies.  In the 21st century, design can be seen as important as fine art in many ways. 

The difference between fine art and design can be debated ad infinitum, but our definition is that whilst a fine artists job is to invent and present new notions, the designers job is to work with pre-existing notions usually for a specific purpose (advertising, posters, selling widgets etc).

The UK Leading the Way

In the UK today, there are many contemporary ceramic artists, many leading the way in new exciting ceramic ideas. 

For us, a contemporary ceramic artist is included in this section if their work is about their ideas. 

It isn't about the technical ability of the studio pot (our section on contemporary studio potters covers that important area (or click where it says '21st C Potters' on the top left navigation bar).

So the work featured in this category is always to do with the 'idea' rather than the technical completeness of the pot.  This stands in almost complete contraction to the austere teachings of 20th century art pottery leviathan, Bernard Leach.  But we don't care.  This area of contemporary art is important and, actually, indulgently delightful.

It's All About the Ideas

So the artwork created by certain of our featured artists can be also be found on other mediums - and may encompass screen prints, glass, jewellery and various other areas of the arts.

Take for example, the effervescent Tiff McGinnis.  Burnt Offerings is her trading name and, for us, is like the Gilbert and George of cermics.  It is a showcase for the inspring art of McGinnis (aka Grande Dame - also a musician).  She is truly a multi-disciplinary artist whose colourful graphic artwork is placed into various media, including ceramics.  Loving the raffish style, the vitality, the pow!

Schneider stems from the famous urban art scene of London.  Her ideas seem to hit you in the face with a shocking but rakish agreeableness.  But make no mistake about it, Schneider is a very skilled potter and knows a thing of two about making studio pots.   In order to be in a position to fully develop her range of strong contemporary and truly original ideas, she needs also the balance of her more classical studio pottery.  Either way, practical or statement art, if you are receptive to the avant-guard you will love to see the layers upon layers of Schneider's work and ideas revealed.

Namiko Murakoshi on the other hand did her degree in ceramics at Camberwell and her masters at UCA Farnham, Surrey.    We love her fun approach especially her Poko Poko dot pots and the hidden hearts are a wonderful touch.

Yvonne Ellen’s  - "Gin in a Tea Cup" set is so imperative it goes beyond just being witty and amusing and, anyway we reckon the Mr & Mrs cup and saucer set is a must for any kitchen of amiable domesticity.  Yvonne, you go girl!

Elizabeth Emmens-Wilson's work uses ceramics as a medium for her intricately hand-painted conceptualisations.  Emmens-Wilson's ideas show that she has the most vivid imagination and colour observance we have seen in a contemporary ceramic artists.

Lara Scobie is a true knowledgeable fine ceramicist - with a unique application of original 'takes' on how decoration can be done in a contemporary way.  Truly beautiful art, she really does grace the world of fine china with her utter and insistent quality.

Lisa Katzenstein is a painter who produces such vibrancy and fun on her chosen canvas of ceramics that when we first saw her work online it simply jumped out at us from the page.  Her ideas and themes are tireless and timeless, but at the same time a reflection of 21st century modernist styling.

Dink Dolls is the brainchild of uber-stylist Cheryl Austin.  Essentially, Cheryl is a 'face-up' artist without any peers.  Here's what ceramic sculptor Peter Holland (co-founder of Ceramic Fusion Art) has to say about Cheryl.  "Most of my working life has been about creating (or at least trying to create), that sharp intake of breath that is a persons reaction to my depiction of exquisite beauty.  That's it, there's nothing more complex or contemplative about it.  When I first saw Cheryl's work, I can't tell you how much a feeling of rapture I got and how my own breath was so sharply taken away.  But it's not just the  beauty, it's the reflectiveness - she's saying something through her art".  You can buy (commission and wait for) a Cheryl Austin doll through us.  Just hit the contact form and talk to us....

Elizabeth Prince's work speaks for itself.  Her tableware is a triumph of visual and tactile blessings.  Popular with the international style magazines, she combines the re-writing of all previous ceramic making rules with a sumptuous daring.

Adam Frew is one of those young artists who we simply have to thank for choosing the field of ceramics to work in.  Without Adam's ebuliant and original work the world would simply be a poorer place.  Thank you Adam Frew.

Charlotte Mei is a person whose ceramic plates we picked out from the crown and called them 'scratch art plates' (our own term).  The slightly manic (in a pleasing way) plate decoration seems to be somehow scratched onto black ground.   We don't know quite how she does it (and we are ceramics experts, apparently).  Naive, post-modern and sharp, we think she should really develop this side of her portfolio.

The 'Jimboart' of James Ward is a real favourite on this website.  He is a self-confessed drawer of things on things.  We just love that.  His works has a resonance wit and naive art insistance that makes it irresistable.  Certain members of the team, are feeling a particular recognition of the superhero character the 'Cheese Defender'.   Get your pants on the outside and hide that cheese.