Jayne Parkin

I created my ceramic company Gonpotty 10 years ago. My body of work consists of unique, bespoke, functional, everyday pieces of art for the home. All my work is hand thrown and no one piece is exactly the same as another. I like the use of simple form that allows the glaze to hold centre stage. The element of chance is a lasting theme that has run through 30 years of my art work and ceramics are no exception. The chance element comes into its own during the glazing and firing field of ceramics. I approach the use of glaze like I would an abstract painting, with some control and thought for colours, juxtaposition and their interactions. However, the results during the final firing process, produce outcomes that can never be 100% guaranteed and this is the chance element within the glazing process I enjoy, resulting in unique, one of a kind, bespoke pieces of art. 2024 has seen a change in my surface decoration and I have been experimenting using underglazes to create a more controlled, simple, illustrative image. I design and draw a simple illustration or pattern that can be easily translated onto the pottery surface then use the underglazes to hand paint and add colour. Once several coats of underglaze have been built up I then cover the whole piece in transparent glaze, this brings out the vibrant colours of the underglaze and gives a glossy finish. Both methods of coating the ceramics surface have a complimentary feel to the different techniques I use.