EMILY MITCHELL

“My work grows out of an interest in how everyday and historic objects tell their own stories. I love narrative and classic fiction and often use literature as a source for ideas. I also enjoy looking at and working with museum collections and archives, exploring historic forms and techniques.”

Given a lump of clay I am excited and interested to see how it might evolve through the making process into something both unique and useful. References that I draw upon often include 17th and 18th century kitchenware. I am inspired by particular times in history, but also by the particularity of an object that might have been mass produced and has now survived as something unique.I love the V&A ceramics galleries and I also often visit the Fitzwilliam ceramics collection in Cambridge. I also gather inspiration from choice charity shop finds! 

I like that ceramics are used, useful and handled, I wouldn’t make a distinction between how an objects is made, experienced or valued. I create all my pieces with the hope that they might become special to the individual for a variety of reasons - somewhere between display and use. I like the way an object is used and experienced differently through specific circumstances and desires of the owner. 

Emily studied Illustration at UAL Central Saint Martins and has taught at a number of art colleges across the UK. Her work is in a number of galleries and outlets in the UK and USA, including The Merchants Table, Eastwood Fine Art, Summerill & Bishop and Schumacher. Her pieces are in private collections across the UK and the USA and have been featured in publications such as The World of Interiors, Modern Rustic, Country Living and House & Garden.