June 2021

*Final thoughts…

This R&D residency has enabled me to create a lot of new work. It has been exciting, intense & exhausting at times; I have produced more new work in this concentrated six months than the previous six years! My objective was to produce a portfolio of six ‘finished creative products’ (approximately one each month); this was achieved (although it didn’t really work out as simply as ‘one each month). These sample products & related collection of ‘tests’ reflect the wide range of ideas & techniques explored within my studio practice & collaborative activities over this period. I have had the privilege of working in the inspiring & evocative surroundings of Winkhill Mill; an historical factory building in Stoke-on-Trent. I have liaised & worked closely with ‘The Firing Line’; a small family company that own the building & produce a range of ‘dust pressed’ ceramic tiles using c.100 year old technology & traditional skills. It has been a unique & fascinating insight. I have developed detailed knowledge & understanding of the production processes & business model.

This residency has been a unique & extremely valuable professional development opportunity for me. My original proposal outlined a significant departure from my previous creative practice & related skill set/experience. This was to begin a concentrated & sustained exploration of ceramic production especially tiles & architectural ceramics for the first time. I have developed so much new knowledge & a huge variety of new skills. The ‘hands on’ experience & ‘learning by doing’ has been phenomenal during this residency.

This whole endeavour would simply not have been possible without the investment & support of Arts Council England. The DYCP grant has enabled an extremely valuable & timely period of creative research & development & a unique collaborative experience. The application process helped me to focus & frame my ambitions. The detailed work plan required helped turn hopeful thoughts & conversations into a clearly defined programme & collaborative partnership.

‘Learning by doing’ has been the basis for this residency. Richard & Steve Wilshaw (The Firing Line) have been generous & open cultured throughout. I have been introduced to all aspects of tile production from sourcing raw materials to final product (clays, precision engineering, pressing/moulding, glaze & kilns). This knowledge has fed my studio activities during the period. This detailed knowledge of traditional skills & techniques has provided the basis for experiment, ‘disruption’ & innovation. The concentrated studio time afforded has been so precious & valuable. It has enabled me to make a significant step change in my creative practice; namely ceramic production. It has been an intensive time for making & ‘practical doing’ but it’s also enabled me to review & reflect on my professional activities of recent years & map out a future direction that firmly places my own creativity & production at the centre.

The original proposal identified the development of a wide range of experiments & test samples. That was certainly the case (some more successful than others of course!). I now have an extensive collection of trial pieces that include different engraving & ‘moulding’ techniques, glaze trials (including inlay, brush, pour & dipping) & experiments using new bisque & glazed ‘field’ tiles as well as a variety of  ‘vintage’ wall & floor tiles (etched/re-glazed/re-fired/re-purposed).

I am really pleased with the specific outputs & excited by the potential longer term outcomes of this intensive learning experience. This is the first time I have made & worked with ceramics & tiles; so it is even more satisfying to have achieved these results from a ‘standing start’. I feel that the skills legacy & learning resources developed will provide a strong foundation for further work & will offer many future development opportunities.

This investment has been critical to taking risks & mapping my future artistic practice. The creative freedom has been truly liberating. In practical terms; I simply would not have been able to undertake a concentrated period of development time both ‘in the studio’ & in collaboration with The Firing Line; exploring a new area of my creative practice (ceramics). The day-to-day decision making has been joyful! Although guided & structured by the original proposal; activities have been constantly driven by ideas, creativity & experimentation. Every trial has offered a unique & different exploration. There have been no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers; each process & outcome provides the potential for a lot of further development. It feels like ’one road leads to another’ on this exciting new phase of my creative journey. 

This six month R&D residency has enabled me to make a fundamental change of direction & approach in my overall creative practice; namely ceramic production. It has helped me to focus on my own artistic production again rather than facilitating others; although this will remain an important part of my ‘hybrid’ activities going forward. It has given me renewed confidence in my own creative ability & helped me to identify new ways to work going forward.

It has also promoted future collaborative opportunities with The Firing Line & a wider linked community of interest. The knowledge, hands-on experience & relationships (consolidated & new) have helped to establish a strong foundation for further development. The ‘finished works’ & test collection has provided me with a portfolio of samples & related images that will help to showcase my creative ceramic skills. This is vital & will help me to explore & hopefully gain further/future professional activities: commissions, residencies, sales etc. The residency & portfolio samples have already helped me to promote my visibility & profile as an artist that works with ceramics in particular tiles & architectural ceramics.

THANK YOU ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

*In response to ACE evaluation report questions.