Elaine Coles

I have been a potter for over 40 years, my work is mainly thrown on a wheel it has gone through various changes over this time but always retained a central theme. In my early years I was influenced by French Provincial Pottery, I loved the earthy shapes and beautiful lead glazes, they are not permitted in these days for health and safety reasons. In the early 1970's I moved to Botswana with my family and this time I was inspired by the ethnic simplicity of the African art work. At this time I hadn't even begun my pottery journey but on my return from this adventure I enrolled at pottery classes. I had trained as a Cordon Bleu cook and in the beginning I was passionate about creating table ware and set about learning to throw. For many years I toured the country doing all the major craft fares. In the mid 1980's I decided to. approach Goldsmiths College, University of London to expand my creativity. At the time apart from the Royal College of Art it was the place to go and I was lucky enough to secure a place. My work began to develop. In recent years I have taken up digital print making and ever pushing forward and creating new ideas I started using the digital images on my ceramics and enhancing them with gold lustre. Each piece is unique. They have at least 4 firings, a biscuit firing, a glaze firing, then firing on the ceramic transfer and lastly the gold and coloured lustres. Alas all these years of potting has taken it's toll on my back and I am no longer producing ceramics. Never deterred I have taken up silver work which I am really enjoying so along side my continuation of digital print this is where I am now!