Lara Scobie
Porcelain maker
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
When the inside pops
- Lara creates decorative porcelain vessels in a balance of monochrome and vibrant colour
- Working with Parian clay adds complexity to her making process
- Her sample tiles and moulds are showcased throughout her workshop
Lara Scobie creates vessels in fine Parian porcelain, carving intricate patterns directly into the clay surface while it is leather-hard. She begins with slip casting and altering hand built forms that deliberately lean and tilt off-centre. Lara engraves patterns using sgraffito tools and then applies layers of coloured slip, before scraping back to reveal the design. "I like to work with oranges, yellows and greens," she shares. Each piece takes two separate firings and three weeks to complete. After teaching ceramics at Duncan of Jordanstone for 20 years, Lara now works full-time from her Edinburgh studio, producing 80 to 100 vessels annually. Her workshop houses her collection of hand produced moulds and her walls showcase the test tiles that document 30 years of glaze experimenting.
INTERVIEW
I draw directly freehand onto the clay surface and then carve using dental tools and loop tools. I apply coloured slip with brushes, let it dry slightly, then scrape back with metal ribs to reveal the porcelain beneath, in a process similar to woodcut printing.
I generally start my day with filling moulds and altering cast forms in preparation for decorating. Afternoons are for decorating when pieces reach the leather-hard stage. I fire kilns twice weekly, reaching 1260°C. One vessel takes three weeks to make, from wet clay to finished piece.
Dental tools for fine carving, metal ribs for scraping and Japanese brushes for slip application. I mix my own coloured slips using stains and porcelain. My Parian clay body recipe took years to perfect. It is translucent when thin but strong enough to carve.
About 70% of the pieces I begin make it through the two firings. Parian is unforgiving. It warps easily and shows every flaw. I can also lose quite a few pieces to cracking during the final glaze firing. When I open the kiln and find survivors, especially after complex patterns, it is pure joy.
Lara Scobie
Porcelain maker
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+44 7722 479 238
LANGUAGES
English
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