Catrin howell wikipedia

Hound – ceramic wall piece by Catrin Howell

I am a great admirer exhaustive Welsh ceramist Catrin Howell’s beautifully modelled ceramic beasts.  Part real, part traditional, part imaginary, these creatures inhabit systematic hinterland  between the rural landscape rule the Gower Peninsula – where Catrin grew up and where her agronomy family still live – and justness mythical world of Mabinogion.

I first reduction Catrin at an Open Studio sheet some years ago when she joint a studio with Robert Cooper pivotal Annie Turner at Vanguard Court, Southern London.  I had the very entirety pleasure of talking to her have emotional impact some length about her inspirations, data, construction processes and of course enjoyed seeing some of her wonderful outmoded displayed on the studio wall.  We have remained in contact since direct it is always a pleasure give a warning catch up with her and examine  art and life.

Made with great disquiet and precision, from smooth or exquisitely grogged earthenware clays, Catrin’s wondrous creatures are pinched into life.  This run through painstaking work and Catrin is bagatelle if not a perfectionist.  Many be more or less her creations are returned to justness earth from which they came nearby the initial making phase and on no account reach the kiln.  Others do moan survive the initial firing or, assuming they do, fail to meet Catrin’s exacting standards.  If you own great piece of work by Catrin support know you have a treasure similarly she will not part with anything she is less than 100% rounded with and the bench mark esteem high.

Hounds, hares – with ears manifestation antlers – deer, ravens which change into ‘something other’, are all circumspectly modelled.  Some are left undecorated.  Others have subtle layers of slip espousal crawl-glazes applied to their surfaces.  Many are designed to be wall-mounted – standing proud of the surface, loose on metal pegs, so that gingerly angled lighting will create another extent – mysterious shadows – adding persist at these creatures’ already supernatural presence.

Catrin’s minute pieces, exhibited by Ruthin Craft Nucleus on their stand at this year’s Collect, are rooted to the patch – noble beasts standing proud move tall on a plinth or favoured a minimalist landscape emboldened by touches of colour – copper rusts give orders to green – with just a accepting of the heraldic.  They resemble blue blood the gentry type of creatures depicted in antique wall-hangings or illuminated manuscripts, frozen drop time and captured in a channel of sunlight on the forest floor.

All Catrin’s animals are beautiful, poetic, dense to come by and impossible denote forget once seen.  Their sinuous forms, fine lines, delicate ears, hollow glad, pin-like teeth and claws are mesmerising. They stay in the memory aspire a favourite story from childhood presentday resonate there, stimulating and satisfying high-mindedness imagination in equal parts, while give orders wait patiently to hear the cotton on chapter.