Annabel Munn

She studied Ceramics at Bristol (BA Hons), specialising in hand-building with a clear emphasis on sculptural aspects. During the final year developing an unusual cross-department relationship with the Fine Art department and finally casting a piece in bronze. After graduating she set up studios in an old warehouse, and alongside exhibiting in established galleries she set up a series of pop-up galleries called ‘Location’, which supported new and established artists, and as well as local charities. Later she returned to Sussex and set up Peter’s Barn Gallery in the tiny Barn that was formerly her dad’s workplace in the garden. What followed was 10 years of exhibitions where with her mother they showcased established and up and coming artists in the Barn and sculpture garden. Showing ceramics, painting, glass, sculpture, enamel and printmaking. They actively encouraged artists, including Mo Jupp, Walter Keeler, Sally Scott, Simeon Farrer, Nicholas Homoky, Ben Barrell, Robin Welch, Nicholas Lees, amongst many others.

We gave them a platform to experiment and resulting in some extraordinary exhibitions. Walter Keeler produced some enormous thrown garden sculptures based on industrial relics. Mo Jupp created a collection of Southsea totem-like sculptures inspired by the fencing around the gallery. (For which she designed and produced an accompanying book). Together they ran demonstrations, and weekend workshops, predominantly in ceramics, and including enamelling. During this time she was also running life-drawing classes, exhibiting her coil-built sculpture, and making sgraffito tiles, including many commissions for venues across the world. (Including Homes in Greece, Germany, USA, Hotel in Barbados) and some large tile panels wired together to create wall hanging pieces. She builds the surface of the tile transferring layers of slip from paper onto the surface. At the leather hard stage she would carve and scrape the surface to produce one-off images that include a lot of fish and birds, amongst other imagery. Then fired to 1150 degrees.

The wonderful Bill Ismay became a regular visitor to the Gallery and collected several of her tiles which are now in the W. A. Ismay Collection at York City Museum (see feature Yorkshire Tea Ceremony). Working in fine grogged earthenware, coiling large, relatively thin forms for thei size, she studied their form and space. Overhangs, contrasting full forms with crisp edges and using semivitreous slips on the surface were fired to 1150 degrees.

Whist running the gallery she was given the opportunity to travel to Japan with the Arts Council on an Arts Curators trip. This was a fascinating time and introduced her to an enduring love of Japanese style and aesthetic.

Being creatively curious, with a love to constantly learn new skills and try new techniques and materials, she tends to run many projects alongside each other, including Illustration and design projects, abstract painting, ceramics, and has taught regularly. She has also been a regular judge at Art and Craft shows, and given many demonstrations. At tthis time she also worked with Persephone Books to make a series of bespoke Mugs for their Holborn and Bath Stores.

For the last 15 years she has been working with very fine earthenware slabs, torn and reconstructed, fired multiple times to build a subtle surface using semi-vitreous slips, underglaze drawings and more recently incorporating transfers, lustres and 24carat gold leaf and porcelain.

* See book review of Bill Ismay on pages 31-32 These ‘memory bowls ‘relate to remembered journeys and events, a fascination with her surroundings through the architecture and nature, while trying to capture what can sometimes be a fleeting moment or experience.

Now living in Southsea, Portsmouth, and working from the basement (which she shares with decks and thousands of albums), the coastal city home constantly feeds her inspiration with so much historical architecture, the constantly changing coast, street history everywhere and it’s Industrial and seafaring heritage.

She is currently working in porcelain, and creating numerous small textured tiles, firing to 1220 degrees, sometimes glazed, sometimes coloured, sometimes gilded. Then wiring them together to create sculptures. The white porcelain becomes translucent and captures the light whilst the gilding reflects it back. The black porcelain pieces appear to have more solidity to them, but on handling the pieces there is movement from the wired joints that suggests fragility.

A new challenge has forced adaptations to the working practice. As carer to her mother she’s had to find new ways of working, which has emerged as a combination of many of her varied working techniques coming together in the brief windows she has to create.

Top: White Series. Centre: After. Bottom: Bronze Wave Photo’s: Norman Hollands http://www.annabelmunn.com/

Annabel Munn

Above: Monument, black porcelain