The Coronation Platter
A collaboration between Andrew Grundon and Hannah McAndrew
The Artists
Hannah McAndrew is an internationally renowned slipware potter from Dumfries and Galloway.
Perhaps one of her best known pieces is the ‘ ThisisEngland’charger, made in response to the racist abuse received by English footballers of colour. This charger is now held in the permanent collection of the Centre of Ceramic Art in York. More of Hannah’s work can be seen here.
Andrew Grundon is a specialist in the rare art of hand painting, lettering and carving pictorial signs. He has established a respected international reputation at the forefront of the revival of such traditional crafted work, in particular, his highly accomplished, pictorial pub signs.
In 1998, he was awarded the sign making contract for St. Austell Brewery for their heritage buildings and still produces all the pictorials. Each sign is bespoke, and draws on his lifelong experience of painting a wide diversity of subjects. The pictorial swinging sign, is an iconic emblem of the British public house, and promoting the continuation of that tradition is a personal mission for Andrew.
Andrew has created signs for customers across the world. Along with St. Austell Brewery, his clients include Liberty of London, The Tower of London, Pullman, for which Andrew created the crest , Television chef Rick Stein, BT Sport - Premier League Promotion, ITV Creative and Ogilvy One. More of Andrew’s work can be seen here.
The Process
Andrew has drawn and painted the Royal coat of Arms of the UK many times over the years , but for this project he began afresh, to inject a new perspective into the familiar heraldic design.
The Coronation of King Charles III is by any measure an important moment in the history of the United Kingdom.
For centuries, potters have traditionally made commemorative pieces to mark events such as this, often using the technique known as sgraffito.
This platter was made by Hannah McAndrew, covered with a layer of white slip and presented to Andrew Grundon to decorate.
Sgraffito is the process of scratching through a surface layer of a light coloured slip, to expose the darker clay beneath, forming a sort of incised line drawing. If any mistakes are made it is virtually impossible to fix, so careful planning and intense concentration are necessary on a design as complex as this, to get it right first time.
The preliminary sketches were weeks in the researching and drawing, with every aspect being reimagined in a circular format for this particular purpose.
The final design when scaled to the right size was traced down onto the slip surface when it was still a little soft.
Andrew then scratched the design into the soft slip, using sharp metal tools. The process took hours and hours of focussed work.
The Platter
When it emerged from the kiln the armorial had been transformed, with every detail gleaming and sharp.
The platter is made of red earthenware with a white slip and finished with a traditional honey glaze. It is 48cm diameter,
To enquire about purchasing this piece, please contact Andrew Grundon:
Email: apgrundon@gmail.com
Telephone: 01208 852156
Credits
Process images and finished work: Shannon Tofts.
Andrew Grundon in his workshop: Gareth Iwan Jones for Discover Britain.
Video: Doug Fitch
