My practice centres on the vessel form. I build clay vessels using coil-building techniques dating back to matriarchal Neolithic pottery cultures, and my work makes ongoing reference to the female ceramic record.
I am currently developing large sculptural vessels, which balance inner volume and outer form, and look to achieve the stillness of a quiet holding or containing space.
My approach to clay focuses on its materiality; I explore its possibilities and resistances. My intention is that the meditative focus of making, the union of energy and calm, is somehow retained in the work.
My mark making is intentional. Working with metal tools, I create movement and texture on surfaces which become highly responsive to light. I smoke-fire with sustainably sourced wood shavings, and as a result the vessels acquire rich and varied surfaces, suggestive of light and dark.
Ruth’s affinity with clay has been lifelong. After studying studio ceramics in the Midlands in the 1980s, she established studios firstly in Derby and then in rural south west Scotland where she continues to live and work. She is an experienced educator, sharing her passion for clay over many years, working in Further Education and community settings.
Ruth has exhibited widely in the UK; recent exhibitions include the Ruup & Form London Art Fair presentation (2024); Secret Ceramics, SoShiro, London, (2024); Collect, Somerset House, London (2023); Winter Exhibition, Ruup & Form, London, (2023) and is also represented by Brown’s Gallery, Inverness.
Ruth has also been selected to participate in prestigious ceramic fairs across the country including York Ceramics Fair (Craft Potters Association) 2024, The Hepworth Wakefield Ceramics Fair 2024 and Potfest in the Park, Hutton-in-the-Forest, Penrith 2024.
