FRAN FELL
I am always trying to keep an untrained spirit to what I do. In work quickly and instinctively. For me a lively material quality must remain present in the finished pieces – the seams, the drips, finger marks and ‘mistakes’.
“Beyond being purely functional vessels have a more imaginative role in human culture – their surfaces adorned with myths, stories and legends.”
I try to vary my work and make one off sculptural pieces but I always seem to return to the vessel. It’s a universal form which has been around for millennia made to contain everything from food and flowers to medicines and ashes. I love the way the visual narrative of the decoration unfolds as you move around the vessel. There’s a time-based aspect to it – almost like watching a film.
My work will start with a sketch of something that has inspired me on a walk. From there I roll out my clay into large slabs. Once the clay is leather-hard I use different coloured slips to paint the pieces. This is when I work quickly and spontaneously. Before the clay dries I form the painted slabs into vessels ready to be fired before glazing. Some of my work also involves a third firing for lustre.
Fran Fell is a London based ceramic artist creating vessels decorated with contemporary designs. She regularly exhibits in London and has been selected for ING Discerning Eye, 2022 and New Designers at Islington Design Centre in 2019.
