12 ARTIST INTERVIEW Pierre Williams
Pierre Williams
A
natomical features and figures are placed against architectural shapes in Pierre William’s ceramic sculptures, inspired by the juxtaposing forms found in everyday human interactions with their surroundings. His distinctive style was born from a quick, direct method of decorating; using materials from around his studio to create pieces that, when assembled together, resemble an eclectic museum ceramics cabinet. With his work in private collections internationally and having shown both in the UK and New York, Williams’ upcoming exhibitions include the Affordable art fair, Battersea in October and Windsor Contemporary Art Fair in November. Can you tell us about your journey as an artist; have you always worked with ceramics? Art is the one thing that has been a constant in my life, but when I left school pursuing this was not an option, so I got a job as an apprentice toolmaker/ Development engineer. This was ok for a while; I was making things and enjoyed being skilled. The urge to be creative was still there and I would make metal sculptures during work and I would paint when I got home, I still wanted to be an artist. Eventually I met someone who came to work with us who was doing what I wanted to do, he was studying at the local college after leaving the army. This gave me the motivation to follow my passion, which led me to sell my house, leave my full time job and enrol on a full time foundation course at the age of thirty four. It was here that I decided to study ceramics as I liked the idea of working in 3D and was able to use colour and texture whilst working in a way that would still require a high level of skill and knowledge. I studied at Cardiff for my degree
where I learnt all the basic skills then specialised on the potters wheel. After my degree I set my studio up back home in Hereford and got a job running the ceramic department at Hereford College of Art, which I did for four years. This really pushed my knowledge and skill level further as I was solving the student’s problems. The next three years were spent teaching part time at the Royal National College for the blind where I taught Ceramics and Art and Design. All the time I spent teaching I worked at my own art where eventually the potters wheel became just a tool to be used if I needed a thrown form to combine with my newly developed figurative pieces. While on first glance your work may appear as traditional figurines from a museum collection, a closer look reveals the contemporary compositions, and the layering of colours, patterns and lustres. Can you tell us more about how you developed your style and the decoration techniques? When I decided I wanted to explore the human form I found it quite difficult to find a way in;
