Chloë Dowds

Porcelain maker | Newtown Mount Kennedy, Ireland

Exploring colour in clay

Chloë's tool of choice is the potter’s wheel
She creates sophisticated and understated forms
She won the 2018 RDS Craft Award Bursary

Chloë Dowds works almost exclusively with the alluring material of porcelain. She is inspired by the beauty, mystery and rich history of the material itself. She creates work that looks effortless in its simplicity, but that requires a craftsperson’s extensive skill and patience to execute. The interaction of colour within her pieces creates an experience of calm and order. Her restrained palette and use of texture, combined with the elemental material of clay, create a resonance that is almost meditative. Alongside her more sculptural work, Chloë brings her knowledge of colour to a range of homeware which also encapsulates her ability to produce work with balance and understated beauty.

Interview

©Peter Rowen

©Chloë Dowds

Have you always been a maker?: Yes, I remember visiting my Grandparents high up in the mountains of Donegal. There was this very iron rich clay in their yard, the colour was unlike any clay I’d ever seen; almost metallic. I spent hours out there, making mud pies.
Why did you choose to work with porcelain?: It is so captivating at every stage of the making process; it’s whiteness and softness. This whiteness, lends itself beautifully to being coloured with ceramic pigments. I have drawn huge inspiration from the colour experiments of Josef Albers.
What is special about working with your hands?: Carl Jung said “Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain”. My first experience with clay was when I fully understood being in a state of flow. The finished piece took me aback because it reflected something that was hidden inside of me.
Will you work with clay for the rest of your life?: For as long as I live, I will constantly be learning with this material because the possibilities are endless. The techniques are endless. Clay is such an amazing teacher; I will always be excited by it’s potential.

Chloë Dowds is a master artisan: she began her career in 2012 and she started teaching in 2017