Rachel Foxwell

Ceramicist

©Rachel Foxwell

The vanishing lines of landscapes

Rachel's tutor was master ceramicist Geoffrey Swindell
Landscapes and everyday life are her source of inspiration
Slab building, colour and ceramic slip development are her specialisms

Inspired by the ever changing lines, compositions and colours of landscapes and the shapes of everyday life, Rachel Foxwell rigorously applies coloured slips to thin porcelain slabs. “I spend a long time sanding and polishing the bare clay to create the contrast of super smooth, translucent porcelain against the textured slip surface.” The result? Colourful vessels with intricate, abstract surfaces which reveal themselves the closer you look. After a degree in ceramics at Cardiff University, Rachel opened her first studio in Bath. Since then she has moved to Frome, where she is now “bringing ideas to life” and happily “mixing ceramic slips and creating a range of colours, tones and shades.”

Interview

©Rachel Foxwell

©Rachel Foxwell

Have you always been creative?: From a very early age I have known I wanted to be creative. But it was when I was 8 years old, after winning a competition with a sketch of a hedgehog that I knew I wanted a career as an artist
When did you discover clay?: I was doing a foundation course in art at Cardiff School of Art and Design when I experienced clay for the first time. That is when I discovered I had found my way of translating my 2D ideas off the page into 3D.
Do you master any specific techniques?: I master my own technique of slab building, using the clay as a canvas. I apply ceramic slips which I have developed over the years in intricate layers to create abstract compositions with textured and tactile surfaces.
How do you achieve that?: I have developed the traditional skills of slab building to create contemporary, elegant forms. I roll the clay into very thin slabs and use it as a canvas – joining the slab together at the end. This means the seam is still visible and reveals my method of making.

Rachel Foxwell is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2005