Isle of Skye Ceramics
Patricia Shone

Do you remember trying to make a pot by rolling plasticine into long "worms", coiling the worms and then scraping them smooth, but somehow the result was never quite what you (or your teacher) had in mind at the outset?

Patricia Shone has got coiling and scraping down to a fine art, and she moved on from plasticine a long time ago. Originally from Greenock, she trained at the Central School of Art in London, and in 1998 she set up Isle of Skye Ceramics with a home-made kiln. Her range of hand built, raku-fired ceramics has developed gradually over the years, and today her work is exhibited and on sale in venues throughout the Highlands.

A bright blue potter's wheel is a splash of colour against the pale clay and the wooden hand tools as she works on a pot. To watch is to become fascinated by her fingers as they coil, scrape and smooth, a combination of grace and strength, gradually building up the shape. It's a slow process and the outcome can still be unexpected, for as she gets more technically proficient, Patricia reduces the amount of obvious control in her work. She says: "Starting with the simple idea of a bowl or a bottle, I allow the form to develop without too much interference from mental processes…in this way I hope to develop forms which are expressive of myself and which reflect my life."

She uses glazes and slips that contain metal oxides (iron, copper, manganese) and reflect the colours and textures of the Skye landscape. She collects algal bloom from a local spring for its iron oxide which, she says, "gives the work a physical connection to the landscape as well as taking inspiration from it".

The "raku" method of firing pots originated in Japan, and Patricia chose it specifically for its unpredictability. Her description of the process is vivid. Unfortunately, my visit doesn't coincide with a firing, as it sounds like a lot of fun, if somewhat dangerous. The raku kiln - home-made from an old oil drum - sits innocently by the studio door, waiting its cue, when it is set up in the yard outside.

After a normal "bisque" firing in an electric kiln, a pot is fired again in the raku kiln at temperatures up to 1,000 degrees centigrade. At this point it is transferred - very hot, and very carefully - to a container filled with mixtures of sawdust, seaweed, peat and paper. This is the exciting stage, as the combustible material ignites with the heat of the pot. The fire and smoke react with the glaze, culminating in the emergence of the final patterns and colours when the pot is cooled and cleaned.

I ask Patricia whether she works for a particular market, or for her own development as a potter. As I expect, the latter is her preferred choice. A range of functional pottery, developed during a conscience-driven phase of "doing the marketing thing", was commercially successful but the exercise left her exhausted and creatively depleted.

She was confronted by the classic dilemma of creative work. The market demands more of what it already likes, whereas the artist needs to grow continually, exploring new directions. Patricia freely admits that her partner's financial support allows her the "self-indulgence" of producing her non-functional pots. She contends that the creation of objects that add pleasure to people's lives in a mundane world is a worthwhile task. Surrounded by the results of her work, I can't help but agree with her.

You can see Patricia's work at:
www.patriciashone.co.uk

If you wish to use any of my photographs for publication, please contact me. Commissions for similar illustrated features are welcome - contact me any time to discuss your ideas.