Jeremy James

So many things concern Jeremy James when making a piece of ceramic work. It can be things as prosaic as a 'nice shape' he has seen, or the sound of a cockerel scuttling over a farmyard. Sometimes the sculpture can be a carrier, enabling him to exploit a particular aspect of the material or process he is using. Regardless of the subject, the making process is much the same, first drawing, usually from real things, followed by the making of a maquette, which allows ideas as well as technical problems to be examined. Only after this does he begin on the actual sculpture.

Most sculptures are modelled in stoneware or porcelain clay using my fingers and wooden tools. They are usually constructed upwards. The sculptures are normally about 3-4mm thick and hollow. When completely dry the pieces are fired in a gas kiln to 1000oC. They then undergo a further firing after the colour has been added. Jeremy studied Fine Art at Exeter School of Art and Design, before taking a Masters degree in Ceramics at South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education. He is currently based in Heanor, Derbyshire and is Senior Lecturer in Applied Arts at the University of Derby.