Empty Vessels

About

“In a world where pressure is on instant results, dominated by commercialism and technology, I enjoy the meditative nature of allowing the form to evolve with handwork, imagination, and human labour using the most primitive material available - the earth itself”. 

While observing ceramic craft traditions the ideas that inform Lorraine Robson’s tranquil, sculptural, contemplative works are derived from the natural world and museum artifacts, with underlying ideas of illness, pollution, sacrifice, decay, mutation, war, lost memory,  and lost culture. 

TECHNICAL : Work is hand-built, frequently dictated by classic vessel forms, not designed as functional. Straddling the worlds of fine art and craft her work defies categorisation. 

“I favour the coiling method of construction, slab and pinching for complex forms.  The surface is refined using scrapers when leather hard and further refined using abrasives when dry. Work is fired four times, increasing in temperature. Between each firing the surface is sanded by hand using diamond abrasives, then, Silicon Carbide paper,  working down through the grades, coarse to fine to achieve a silky tactile finish. Finally, wax applied and buffed to seal the surface and enhance the naked clay.”

This new work is further development of “Empty Vessels” project funded by Creative Scotland.

Lorraine has exhibited work in select galleries in the UK and internationally for over 20 years, winning prizes and awards for her Sculpture and Ceramics.

Her work is held in private and public collections.