Anna Thomson

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Fibre: structure and surface 2022

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Linear expression 2022

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Balancing design and craft, ceramicist Anna Thomson, explores the intrinsic qualities of clay, enjoying the possibilities of materials and developing new processes. Her collections of ceramic lighting, vessels and installations are all imbued with a sense of discovery.

 

Anna draws inspiration from the coast, architecture, memory and the passing of time with pieces exploring themes of repetition, variation, duality and erosion. Sharp geometries or soft curves in a muted monochrome palette. Her work captures a beauty in the new and the worn, the exposure of hidden layers and the reveal of complexity and construction.

 

The Resilience vessels are a sensitive response to Anna’s experience of life in lockdown during the the pandemic. Daily walks along her local shoreline on the East Sussex coast inspired the development of a new erosion technique using water and sand. The technique produces an intriguing soft, almost felt-like, surface quality to the vessels. Their round-bases allow them to respond and adapt to changes brought about by the heavy directional erosion and they find a subtle new balance, a shift in their presentation and a beauty in the reveal of their hidden layers. The ‘soft’ erosion together with the enclosed forms, resting in a new equilibrium, bring a sense of changed harmony.