anne wagstaff, dodhurst studio ceramics
Anne started academic life as a zoologist, having been ‘good at sciences’ at
school. She moved into the world of accountancy for much of her career and is
now a potter. Working with ceramics is a wonderful blend of science and art.
There are many points in the process at which a pot can go wrong- cracking
during drying, exploding during firing, the glaze not fitting; the list is
almost endless. Those are mostly solvable through the application of science. A
pot can also go ‘wrong’ because it simply doesn’t please the eye- the shape can
be top heavy, a handle can be beautiful but wrong for the pot. Again, the list
could be endless. However, the joy in a pot that works aesthetically and that
has survived the brutal ceramic processes is a deep pleasure that makes the
pursuit of ceramics such a pleasurable chase. Feeling, like many potters, that
there is a life time of experimentation ahead of her, Anne particularly enjoys
the experimental intrigue of clay. In recent years she has been exploring
porcelain slip casting in natural forms, such as avocado skins, and the effects
of rain on glazed, but as yet unfired pots. The scientist is never far below the
surface. Anne works in her garden studio in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
