Fenella Elms

Fenella Elms is an artist creating wonderfully luminous ceramic sculptures.  

"I first discovered working with clay when I was taught to throw with a school teacher who enthusiastically took the class out to see a Lucy Rie exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum in 1981. I sought out workshops and classes over the years until I was given a wheel in 2004 and began the more intensive teaching that college offered.

Aspects of my past career in mental health continue to influence my work with clay: the subconscious approach, a sense of rhythm, attention to detail and difference. I don’t seek to put my experiences into the clay, but marvel at how they emerge."

Some of Fenella's work is wall mounted and appear to have a real sense of movement.  I love her colour palette and the obsessional  attention to detail that is reflected in her pieces. 

She talks about her working approach to clay:

"Clay transforms in the kiln: an irreversible process from mud to sharp edges, vibrant colour and translucency. I am drawn to develop this transforming quality in the work itself; making pieces that alter in pattern or give an allusion of movement and depth by using clay’s potential for creating surface texture and building sculptural dimensions".