Tessa Eastman

Ceramicist

©Layton Thompson

©Alun Callender

©Layton Thompson

Clay as a metaphor for life

Tessa worked as an assistant to Kate Malone
She decorates her sculptures with special glazes
Her studio at Cockpit is a hub for craftspeople

Londoner Tessa Eastman believes that clay is the biggest metaphor for life because “it comes from the ground and the three dimensional forms can be full of challenges along the way”. Fascinated by art, she started working with clay at school and she was immediately captivated by it. It quickly became a passion, she won a pottery prize when she was 11 years old, that led her to the Wimbledon School of Art, then to the University of Westminster and onto the Royal College of Art, where she completed an MA in Ceramics & Glass. Committed to the challenge of hand building with clay, using various techniques to create complex ceramic sculptures, she is passionate about sharing her affection for the material with others whether it be an art collector, gallerist, student or enthusiast.

Interview

©Alun Callender

©Alun Callender

What do you love the most about your craft?: I build with my hands and I am happiest spending time perfecting a work to a high standard. I appreciate hand labour and the soul of an object that has been made by the human hand. Objects made by hands have power and speak to me. They can allow humans to find meaning and question life.
Why do you enjoy modelling with clay?: Clay and nature are the perfect match. Clay bends and twists as nature can and the challenge is trying to retain life in the work after firing and glazing. Glazes were traditionally used to allow pots to be useful. I use glazes that are sculptural to add depth of character to a three dimensional form.
What inspires your creations?: I look towards cloud formations as a starting point in order to produce curious and ambiguous work. I also look at work by scientists and artists such as Ernst Haeckel and Rob Kesseler, who both focus on the strangeness of nature as seen through a microscope. This strangeness reminds me of the cycle of life and its impermanence.
Do past and future meet in your creations?: I use age-old pottery techniques such as coiling and slab building to create otherworldly contemporary ceramic sculptures. I deliberately exploit traditional glazes in order to achieve sensual surfaces that crack and expand in unpredictable ways.

Tessa Eastman is a master artisan: she began her career in 1997 and she started teaching in 2005