Sarah Sullivan*
Sarah Sullivan | Ceramics | Cornwall
Sarah is a potter working from her pottery studio and small gallery RED in Redruth, mid Cornwall. She graduated from Falmouth School of Art in 1998.
She makes batches of stoneware vessels, thrown - with a smooth clay, and coil built – with grogged clay. Also figurative Serenity Heads. These are individually hand carved. A slow, rhythmic process that is endlessly satisfying. The result is a unique and extremely tactile form that looks and feels both modern and ancient.
Her work is carved using a small stripping tool, creating curves and pattern and making the pieces so satisfying to handle and use. They are mindfully made and beautifully tactile.
The pots are finished in a dolomite glaze and a combination of slips, underglazes, oxides, a colour palette that reflects the beach where she swims year-round.
Sarah is influenced by ancient pottery vessels, studio pottery pioneers, contemporary throwers, through to Japanese and Scandinavian clean lines of design, modern wood carving, large sculptural work and vessels.
The carved lines of Sarah’s pieces are representative of the tidal lines, sand and rocks on the Cornish beaches, the geology of the landscape and the history of mark making in clay.