London

Sophie Cook

Ceramicist | Woodbridge, United Kingdom

Refined teardrops, glazes and colour pops

Sophie is a Suffolk-based ceramicist
She graduated from Camberwell School of Art in 1997
Sophie creates delicate porcelain vessels that range in shape and form

Fine lines, surprising shapes, and a wide variety of colour tones characterise Sophie Cook's collections. She has been mastering the craft of throwing for several decades and her works instantly capture the imagination. Sophie graduated from Camberwell School of Art in 1997 where she trained with the celebrated British ceramic artist Richard Slee. Inspired by colour, Sophie throws forms in porcelain and creates entire collections resembling a three-dimensional still-life. She is known for her teardrop and pod shapes as well as for developing an incredible variety of colour tones and finishes for her porcelain creations. Today her works can be found in prominent galleries and museums including the Denver Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Geffrye Museum, and the Museum of the Home in London.

Interview

Do you remember the moment when you first thought of becoming a ceramicist?: I used to play with Fimo modelling clay as a child and sell my creations from the bedroom window. I did not discover actual clay until I was an adult, on my Art Foundation course at Camberwell. Although the textiles department was my initial specialisation, in the end, I chose ceramics.
When and how did you actually start?: I got a lot of interest at my degree show in 1997 and a ceramicist, Jane Muir, offered me space in her studio over the summer to make some commission works. I slowly decided to give it a go as a career, first for three months, then six months, and then it became my life.
When did you open your own workshop?: I got my own studio in October 1997 in an old jam factory. The space used to be a corridor joining two buildings together so it was essentially a mid-air tunnel that became so cold in winter that the clay would freeze. This was my first workshop.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Colour is one of my primary inspirations, I am always trying to create new shades that people have not seen before in ceramics. Throwing is a very traditional craft that I try and make innovative with my shapes and colours.

Sophie Cook is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1997