CLAY THERAPY
Why pottery & ceramics are trending now Pottery and ceramics are
discovered at a Neolithic tomb in
enjoying their moment in the
Killaclohane, Co. Kerry in 2015,
spotlight right now.
while the fine ware industry date
With surprising celebrity fans including Brad Pitt and Leonardo
back to the late 17th century. SIOBHÁN BREATNACH goes
di Caprio, Instagram and YouTube
behind the potter’s wheel to meet
is heaving with #pottery videos
three creatives whose spectacular
of people showcasing their throw
work you should look out for on
down skills online.
your travels.
Credited with mood enhancing
The first time ceramic artist &
and mindfulness qualities, TV
designer Claire Murrdock saw
shows like Channel 4’s The Great
someone working at the wheel she
Pottery Throw Down have also
was completely mesmerised.
helped boost people’s interest
Having first become interested
in private throwing classes and
in ceramics at school, her interest
sculpture workshops.
in the artform has only continued
While rare vases can often sell for millions of euros, the true
to grow. “I always loved art but I first
beauty of everyday ceramics and
became interested in ceramics at
pottery is that it is both accessible
GCSE level. I coiled and hand-built
to create and buy for home potter
this very large teapot with a cat on
enthusiasts.
the lid and tail around the side,”
In March this year, Mud Ireland opened a pottery studio at the
she says. “I did very little clay work during
Portadown Wellness Centre to help
my last two years at grammar
people struggling with anxiety,
school but after A-levels I went to
loneliness and mental health.
a technical college in Ballymena
While in April the Design &
to do a Foundation Diploma in Art
Crafts Council Ireland launched
and Design were I worked with
Get Ireland Making - a series of
clay a little bit more.”
online workshops to connect the public with the craft community.
From there she applied to the University of Ulster Art College in
There is a long-time tradition of
Belfast, graduating with a degree
master potters and ceramicists on
in Contemporary and Applied Art
the island.
specialising in Ceramics in 2013.
Fragments of coil pots dating
“In our very first weeks there we
from 6,000 BC, the oldest
received a wheel throwing demo
ever found in Ireland, were
from our tutor Clive,” she says.
Go Wild Magazine - Staycation Edition 2020
- 20 -
“It was the first time I had ever seen anyone working on a wheel and I was mesmerised. “I said to myself that day I must learn how to do this. Since then almost all of my work has been wheel-based.” As a contemporary crafts person, Claire is known for her distinctive large-scale moon jars and tableware, made from a variety of clays. Each piece is fired in a gas reduction kiln best suited to her choice of tenmoku, celadon and blue chun glazes. “I am always complimented for my tidiness and finish. I have a very calculated and considered way of working and I enjoy testing and researching early on to try and iron out any potential flaws and control the final outcome as best I can,” Claire says. “I think it’s fair to say I am a perfectionist and I always strive for perfection but knowing I will never find it in ceramics endears me all the more and drives my passion for clay all the further.” Her work, she adds, takes two very different paths. “My largescale wheel-thrown moon jars are intended to come across as strong robust statement pieces and my wheel-thrown tableware is intended for everyday use, to be beautiful objects but
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