Ceramic insights to an inner world
- Anne became captivated by ceramics after making her first bowl at the wheel
- Her work today is highly detailed, often produced by many layers of pigments and firings
- Deeply inspired by the natural environment, her work is a reflection of both internal and external realms
As the potter’s wheel spins, a sense of grounding and belonging emerges for Anne Athena. What began as introductions to clay when she was a young adult developed into a lifelong journey with the material. Today, Anne holds a BA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and an MA from the Royal College of Art. "My work draws on realms of figurative, surrealism and symbolism." says Anne. Her work displays an intimate relationship between the natural world and her own internal world, engaging with the physical reality that meets our eyes as well as the emotional, psychological, and sometimes spiritual layers of existence beyond the visible.
Interview
- Where does your love for ceramics come from?
- My love for ceramics stems from a love of nature, working with earth, minerals, and the elements, which give me a sense of grounding and of belonging to the Earth.
- What draws you to working with clay and paint?
- I combine my love for ceramics and painting by painting intricate images on my vessels and sculptures. Clay grounds me, and painting helps me to organise and process my complex inner life. It is my way of communicating with the world.
- How does your work process usually start?
- My work springs from a constant stream of complex inner observations about the world and the human beings around me. I channel this inner life of mine into the shapes, colours, symbols, and patterns of my work.
- What messages do you hope people take from your work?
- I want to encourage people to recognise that there always is more to someone, something, or somewhere than meets the eye. I hope they begin to look into the details of people, things, and situations.
Anne Athena is a master artisan: she began her career in 2010 and she started teaching in 2015
Works
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Anne Athena
