This year I am again exhibiting my ceramics with Sue Doughty (jeweller) but we have moved from The Blandford Avenue Marquee in North Oxford to the delightful village of Eynsham about 6 miles away. Our new venue is just off Queen Street, a very short charming walk up a narrow lane bordered by flowers will bring you to Cotswold House, number 9, on the left hand side, no parking on Queens Lane.
I work almost exclusively in porcelain and specialise in slip casting. I find this type of clay very fine, responsive to modelling and staining and lends itself to a detailed finish including hand painting if appropriate to the piece. The items that I enjoy making most relate to the animal kingdom, either my whippets or inspiration from foreign travel. However I also make practical containers for flowers or use in the kitchen. Because porcelain is high fired my vessels are dishwasher and oven proof.
On December the 2nd and 3rd I will be exhibiting at an established show known as Art at Christmas in Summertown, North Oxford. There will be about 18 artists from varied disciplines.
Philippa Norris worked professionally as a paper conservator. Such work requires attention to detail and she feels that this shows in her ceramics, especially her take on animals. She enjoyed ceramics at school but really came back to them when she moved to Oxford eighteen years ago and did a very good course for three years at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College under the guidence of Graham Hudson and Jane Hanson. It was Graham who introduced her to slip casting and the huge opportunites it offers. She has participated in Art Weeks for many years.