Artist of the Month
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Andrea Walsh received a Crafts Start Up Award from the Scottish Arts Council. In her own words she describes how her career has since developed. |
I came to the medium of ceramics and glass via a rather circuitous route, having first studied fine art at Staffordshire University. Fascinated by the idea of installation I became intrigued by the way the display of objects can affect the viewer. Working with various materials, I began to focus on the combined properties of glass and light for my degree show project - this involved working alongside a glassmaker in order to bring my ideas to fruition.
During the time spent observing the making process in the hotshop I was seduced by the alchemic nature of the material. Having witnessed some of the capabilities of glass, I decided that I wanted to have a more direct involvement with the making process and therefore focus on learning the specific skill of glassmaking.
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What followed was a year’s study at the International Glass Centre in the West Midlands – this involved a complete overview of glassmaking techniques accompanied by more technical aspects. I then completed a Masters Degree at Edinburgh College of Art where my focus shifted slightly to the combination of ceramics with glass. The molten, magical nature of glass had continually been my priority, less interested in sophisticated techniques and decoration. The purity of the substance as it appeared in the hotshop whilst being poured and manipulated was a quality that I most wanted to capture in an object. Thinking about a vessel that could function as a container for this liquid I came to ceramics. |
Being very specific about my requirements I wanted a form that was as inobtrusvie and simple as possible. Bone china presented itself as sharing many attributes with glass – it’s purity, translucency and also it’s propensity for movement during the making process.
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After graduating from Edinburgh I continued to research the process of combining these normally incompatible materials more thoroughly, and in 2005 I received a Start-Up Award from The Scottish Arts Council. This afforded me the opportunity to purchase some essential equipment including a small kiln, a clay mixer and also very importantly a computer and camera to promote my work further. The award also gave me the opportunity to concentrate upon building a resolved body of work with which I could then go on to approach galleries and fairs. |
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During the summer of 2007 I was awarded the International Crafts Residency at Cove Park on the West Coast of Scotland. Spending three months entirely devoted to my practice was completely invaluable. Living and working within the spectacular setting of Loch Long, it provided the ideal situation to become truly absorbed in a period of intensive research, involving further exploration of techniques that I had already established in my own studio.
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The themes that had been ever present in my practice were easily accommodated in the landscape that Cove Park was situated. Being in close proximity to a magnificent stretch of water proved inspirational for expanding my ideas even further. The residency also allowed me the time to take a step back from my work |
The last two years have involved exhibiting at several galleries throughout the UK and taking part in ‘Origin: the London Craft Fair’ at Somerset House (2006 & 2007). ‘Collect’ at the V&A, London (2008) (with craftscotland) and ‘Ceramic Art London (2008)’ at the Royal College of Art. |