ANTONIA ( TUPPY ) LAWSON'S CERAMIC ART & SCULPTURE
ARTIST STATEMENT
Holy Cow
Antonia (Tuppy) Lawson was born in Hong Kong in 1958. She traveled extensively throughout Europe, India, China and the Far East. She worked and lived in Taiwan studying Chinese before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. ?I started my ceramic training in the UK with an intensive City & Guilds course. I have always needed to express my creativity. The most satisfying outlet for this has proven to be my ceramic work. Building a unique piece appeals to my sense of value. My sculptures are bold, colorful and thought provoking, a way of expressing my views both politically and aesthetically. My pieces are all hand built and I work in series. My imagination is incredible and boundless and my family and the world around me have a profound effect on my choice of subject matter.? ?I sculpt primarily with low fire heavy grogged clay. I most commonly use fat coils to build my pieces, using my thumbs and a rubber kidney to smooth out the wall. I make my own sprig molds in the English Wedgwood tradition and use these to create the small clay embellishments that are added to some of my pieces. I carve my own texture stamps. Works are finished with under-glazes, glazes, stains and oxides. My pieces are multi fired in an electric kiln.?
The added elements:
THOUGHT PROVOKING: As a Daughter, Sister, Mother and Spouse many of the ?Current events? that take place in our ?Civilized world? I find worthy of more or perhaps different attention. An ?image? can often be remembered forever.
HUMOR: While hoping to stimulate the viewer many pieces are meant to invoke humor.
TEXTURE: Texture plays a huge part in shaping the clay and is drawn from many influences in nature and from objects around us.
COLOUR: Colour stems from an upbringing in the Far East where the light is dazzling and the colours are vibrant, compared to the greys of England where I was educated.
FINISH: Finish is everything. I believe a piece should be finished to the best of one?s ability. I would rather take longer over one piece than produce many pieces of a lesser quality.
UNIQUE SCULPTURES: I only make original sculptures. I like the idea that each collector has a piece that no one else has. Sculptures may follow a theme but no two are ever the same.
FAMILY My family is an incredible force behind me: they are my greatest fans and harshest critics. They influence my work in unusual ways. They are tolerant of my suggestive subject matter and my open views. I am able to grow and explore as an artist with their support. I love them all dearly.
Copyright? 2007 Antonia Lawson ♥San Rafael ♥California♥HOME ♥BLOG♥EMAIL
