Artist talk by Tom Kemp

About

'I've always been intrigued by the physical act of writing: the subtle movements of fingers resulting in meaningful symbols on the page. For many years I studied a form of signwriting developed in classical Rome, which uses the 'square-edged' brush. It's this tool which is ultimately responsible for the serifs we see on many letterforms today. I was surprised to find that 'throwing' clay on a wheel has a very calligraphic nature to it: the form appears in real time under the body's direction; there is very little room for editing or transforming: what you make is what you get. The very direct nature of making a vessel in this way creates natural, three-dimensional curves which are far more complex and interesting to write on than a flat sheet of paper. I use ceramic as my surface as bit of a conceit: the swiftly written, even hasty, mark embedded within a vessel which might last more or less until the sun explodes.'

Since his first weekend course six years ago, Tom Kemp has developed a strong following for his work which has been purchased by collectors all over the world.