Clay happy
- When Lorna puts her hands to clay, she feels truly content
- She translates the beauty of the natural world into ceramics
- She finds endless inspiration in the botanical world
There are not many people that have found their happy place, but Lorna Fraser has: she has found it in the feeling of putting her hands to clay. She creates sculptural one-off pieces, small series of works and site-specific installations. Lorna has her own studio in the heart of Edinburgh, a short walk from the Royal Botanic Garden, which provides her with endless inspiration. “I delight in looking at all types of plants – from the giant leaves of tropical water lilies to the formation of tiny lichens growing on a wall.” She also draws inspiration from the huge collection of pressed plant specimens and became one of three makers representing Scotland in the British Pavilion at the opening of the 2017 Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea.
INTERVIEW
The feeling when I put my hands to clay and my instinct to start forming and shaping that clay immediately kicks in. That is my happy place which affirms my love of clay and the process of making. I feel so lucky to be able to call it my profession.
I opened my own workshop in 1987. At that time, I managed to rent one small studio in a building where I remain to this day, although now I am in a lovely big studio. The building houses 55 artists from various disciplines, I have always found it very stimulating to work in such a creative space.
Moving to a house with a garden was a defining moment for me. It was wintertime and I was blown away by the sculptural shapes and structures around me. This led me to closely observe all plants and I became absorbed by the infinite array of forms in the botanical world.
My work is very tactile. When people touch it, they expect it to be very fragile, but once reassured, they seem delighted to have had the opportunity to handle it and a big smile always spreads across their face.
