The therapeutic nature of ceramics
- Theodora's work is deeply inspired by abstract concepts
- She started creating ceramic works aged 14, in an evening class
- She was full of self-doubt until she won an international prize
Her flowing forms represent the vibrations of her soul. For Theodora Chorafas, art is therapy, and transforming the clay allows her to transform and shape her emotions. Born in London and now based in Greece, Theodora studied ceramics and decorative arts in the UK, Italy and Switzerland. Her fascination with clay dates back to her years as a student. At 14, she signed up for a ceramics evening class, where she felt finally she understood the world by giving form to it with her hands. Since then, her works have been exhibited all over the world. She teaches ceramics, curates exhibitions and organises workshops in Greece, Spain and the US. In 2006 she was awarded first prize in the European ceramics contest in Bornholm, Denmark.
Interview
- You've said that working with ceramics is a form of psychotherapy. Why?
- The solitude of the studio suits my character and helps me to connect with my spiritual dimension. It’s about giving shape to my inner fluctuations; my art gives form to self-realisation.
- How would you describe your artworks?
- They are the results of my body, heart and mind all participating harmoniously in my craft. My aim is to let the material speak, to allow both my sensitivity and the clay’s qualities to become manifest.
- Where do you draw inspiration from?
- I’m inspired by rather abstract concepts as 'undoing', 'expansion', 'inside-outside', 'returning to the basics'. I try to bridge the conscious with the subconscious, the material and the spiritual.
- What techniques do you master?
- I see myself as a researcher, so I change techniques and look for new ones to discover. I master bucchero (a distinctly black ceramic firing technique), terre vernissée and raku with terra sigillata, which is my own creation.
Theodora Chorafas is a master artisan: she began her career in 1975 and she started teaching in 1985
Where
Theodora Chorafas
