ICF Director and 2019 Demonstrator Wendy Lawrence ran a succesful mural glazing workshop throughout the July 3rd 2021 festival day on site at Aberystwyth Arts Centre. The 2m long ceramic mural had been created at a previous workshop at The Hub Penparcau (Penparcau Community Centre) in May 2021 with members of the local community in Aberystwyth and the village of Penparcau. Once fired the mural made from a collection of textured, abstract tiles, will be installed as a permanent fixture at The Hub.
At the same time as the glazing of the mural, pottery activities for adults and children were held to create and decorate tiles in conjunction with Aberystwyth Arts Centre education team. In addition to this, local adults who had not been able to attend any pottery sessions during the year were invited to come in and had opportunities to throw on the wheels in the pottery studio.
Wendy Lawrence received a BA in 3D design (Ceramics) from the University of Central Lancashire in 1998, and has since taught ceramics and run workshops for schools, colleges and community groups. She has participated in symposiums and workshops in Britain, Europe and America and was a guest artist at the International Ceramics Festival, Aberystwyth, in 2003. She is interested in textures of natural geological forms which she observes on her walks in North Wales where she lives (Denbighshire). She experiments with glaze using highly reactive substances to create rich textural surfaces to evoke the natural structure of rock strata. She fires the work to 1260 degrees C in an electric kiln, varying the atmosphere from oxidation to heavy reduction.
“My ceramics are elemental and volcanic, attempting to exaggerate form and texture evident in the geological process. Textures and colours are intensified; framing nature’s characteristics within each piece.
I live near the coast and mountains of North Wales – immersed in geology which continues to be my focus. This interest has evolved into an appreciation of natural form and texture in its entirety. I have been documenting geology, form, surface and texture through drawing, photography, collecting found objects for years. My work is also inspired by monoliths, stone circles, troughs and wheels: forms that capture the majesty of stone.”
Tile making at Penparcau Community Hub May 2021
Tile glazing at the ICF Festival day, July 3rd 2021
