Welcome to Creative Currents. A series of blog interviews with artists, designers and makers from the Southwest in which I take a dive into their world for a day. Kicking off this month, an interview with ceramic artist Katie Bunnell a member of Terra Mater Art based in Penryn, Cornwall.
I am a ceramic artist working from my studio in Penryn Cornwall. I like to work directly and intuitively with clay and glaze to create fluidity, expression and narrative, exploring human relationships with landscape, flora and fauna.
Ten Questions
Describe a typical day in a couple of sentences? Currently my day starts with a couple of downward dogs and a plank. Don't know how long that'll last - it's been a week maybe? Then I check in with my husband, see my 16 year old son off to school, and walk to the studio with Bert, the dog.
A typical studio day involves prioritising the hands on making part of my work. I am my most energised in the mornings so I like to make use of that on the most challenging and fulfilling part of my practice. I'll be modelling in clay, doing some drawing, looking at books and then painting and glazing my ceramic pieces. In the afternoons I give some time to developing new projects, being in touch with people and general admin.
In your studio – what’s the first thing you see? (be honest- I can see an empty packet of chocolate digestives!) Going into the studio is a critical moment. I try not to look at anything and then notice what my eye is drawn to first. Because I work with clay, my pieces in progress are kept wrapped up and the unwrapping process is always combined with an imagined view of what I will find. And then when they're unwrapped, I can either be instantly motivated or stumped about what do next.
If I am stumped I will walk away and look at the piece from lots of different angles. Sometimes I will just leave it unwrapped and do something completely different for a bit while catching it occasionally out of the corner of my eye. Other times I'll do some visual research either using books I keep in the studio or the internet. Sometimes I'll draw to work out what to do next or if it seems right, but scary, I'll take a radical step and completely alter the form I've been working on to get to a new place. It's all good even when it's hard!
Which artist, living or dead, would you like to meet and why? I would like to meet Otobong Nkanga because I really like the way her work integrates human forms with industrial machinery and landscape.
Cats or dogs? Dogs - I finally gave way to the pressure from my sons to get a dog about 5 years ago. Our dog, Bert is small and curly and about the size of a small toddler. He is the baby of the family and we all adore him. He greets you with bounces of joy and makes a walk a delight no matter the weather or your mood when you set out. What could be better? Actually I like cats too, but we don't have one and they do kill birds. I mean Bertie tries, but we all know he hasn't got a hope in hell. Even the birds are laughing.
Name your idle pleasure? I tried a sauna on Flushing beach the other day. It is positioned on Kiln Quay with one side made of glass. You can look out at the water and Falmouth on the other side of the estuary. I loved getting super hot, looking at the view and then plunging in to the cold water off the quay. I think I could get addicted to that hot then cold thing. The only slightly weird thing is that anyone can walk onto the quay and look in at you in the sauna.
Recommend a book? I'm a voracious reader. Recently I read "When I Sing, Mountains Dance" by Irene Sola. It's set in a mountain village in the Pyrenees and everything in it is alive, sentient and their stories are all interconnected including the rocks, rivers, mountains, ghosts, deer, bears, dogs and people
What helps you to focus? Being alone, walking. I walk everyday with Bert to Swanpool beach and while the dog joyfully chases stones into the breakers and then madly digs holes to bury them in, I stare into the distance, soak up the colour, the temperature, the rain and listen to the waves. It's the best thing about living in Cornwall. I do like a long old stomp on the coastal path or inland when I've got the time. I have a couple of lovely walking companions who walk and talk with me. That helps me move on when I'm stuck with something.
What would your top tip be for the year – to yourself or to others? Trying too hard to be something is counter productive. We're so inundated with stuff via the internet. It makes us believe we can do, be or have anything we want at any time of the day or night. This is deeply undermining for our sense of ourselves. I worked in arts education and management until quite recently and only really came back to the studio full time a couple of years ago. I know it sounds a bit naff, but when you work directly with materials with your hands, heart and mind you can really be in touch with yourself and be connected to the wider world. Sometimes what emerges from the process isn't what you expect and may well not be what you thought you wanted to make, but you have to work with it. That's tricky, but ultimately affirming I think.
What are you looking forward to in the next year Sunshine!
I have just started work on a project called Women of Cornwall which is all about creating a new collection of 50 plates highlighting and celebrating significant women of Cornwall. It's a collaborative project with Grays Wharf CIC funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund. The first phase of the project is all about identifying potential women to include in the collection and we are inviting people in Cornwall to contribute to this by highlighting women they think should feature on a plate. We are aiming to do this through public engagement using social media channels and visual arts workshops which will enable people to bring women to light. We are working in partnership with Hypatia Trust, Penzance exploring and developing their existing Women in Cornwall database, and with Kresen Kernow, Redruth tapping into their archives and material presented at recent exhibitions. We're in the planning phase of this project, but if you're interested in taking part please do contact me or check out our instagram account @womenofcornwall.
Find out more about Terra Mater Art and their next show at Trebah Garden
All images courtesy of Katie Bunnell
Purple and pink jewels topped with leafy crowns are a joy but what to do with them apart from salads and pickling? Firstly I draw them.