‘Vessel 3’ by Talia James - 2022

Talia is a ceramicist that uses texture, form and pattern to create contemporary ceramics. Originally a textile and graphic designer for luxury fashion brands, Talia turned to ceramics to look at new ways of exploring design. This eventually lead to her spending some time in Mashiko, Japan. There she worked in a pottery workshop and learnt to step away from a perfect factory produced look and let the material and making process have room to come through in the piece. Her objects strive to display their provenance, to show the story and the marks of the maker alongside the natural textures of the clay.

This collection of vessels has taken its inspiration from brutalism, creating pieces that celebrate the materials and processes used to create each vessel. Through poring lines of the glaze, the finger marks being left in the clay or glazes designed to show off the oxides that create them. These making marks all become the decoration that make each piece unique to itself and the artist.