Hilary Peat

I have always derived great pleasure from the creation of art, not only through my own work but also by offering inspiration to anyone who is new to the subject. It has been quite a journey from my early years in Scotland, moving to Lancashire, then studying for a degree in Three Dimensional Design (ceramics) at Loughborough University, before commencing a long teaching career in the south-east of England. More recently, the breadth of experience I gained over the years from teaching has been put to good use in my studio in Surrey. My ideas are derived from the natural environment. The constant colour changes brought about by the seasons and the elements are an important part of my work. Shapes and patterns along with the interaction of subtle gradations of colour, the merging of one colour into another, the juxtaposition of colours, and the spatial effect they create have always been of great fascination for me. The paintings are an emotional response to the places I have visited over the years. I am drawn to vistas across land and sea and my Scottish roots are a recurrent influence. I work mainly on canvas and begin by modelling and sculpting a semi-relief white ground before applying layers of translucent hues. The ceramic pieces are linked to the paintings, and are a crossover between design and craft. They are hand-built forms using slabs and can be viewed either individually or as a group. The surface is decorated with repeat geometric patterns which are measured and positioned in order to fit precisely around the form. I use a combination of techniques, paper and wax resist, sgraffito, underglaze and glaze. The decorated surface is made up of multiple layers of colour and has a soft tactile quality lending these pieces complexity and richness.