NIGEL EVELEIGH CERAMICIST

My ceramics are made from a variety of clays, hand built and fired to  low temperature. I use a brick kiln for the secondary firing which I built myself which gives me some control over timing and temperature. I use sawdust and straw, oxides, and different types of hard and soft wood which are selected for their uniquely exciting and unpredictable characteristics.

I make a range of individual one off pieces such as figures, vessels, pots, bowls and sculpture and often incorporate recliaimed iron and oak.
My larger scale sculptures are often generated and influenced by the suggestion of social behaviour and environmental issues. I create this work to be thought provoking without being overly aggressive; with an ambiguity of discomfort or recognition on a personal or more global level.

The characteristics of clay respond to my changing moments of thought and ultimate decision, enabling me to create and inform my ideas into permanent structures.

I want my ceramics to achieve a balance of original creativity, suggestion, form and gesture. The markings and natural colours create the tactile quality and warmth that complements the form. They are allowed to be fresh and ever changing, expressing their individual meaning through both my imagination and the elements of our natural environment, all of which informs this collection of my work. Colours, textures and natural forms are evidence of the transitional and constantly changing interaction of land and sea.