Ailsa Cowan

Ceramics is one of the oldest art forms and the whole process is very easy to fall in love with; whether it’s making or collecting.

I have been doing ceramics on and off for 35+years starting at school, Art School and then working for a few years with a Glasgow potter.

In 2005 my husband, children and I emigrated to Nelson where I joined Nelson Community Potters and re-discovered my love of ceramics.

Originally from the Isle of Arran, Scotland, I grew up surrounded by mountains, nature, sea and exposed to all sorts of weather. Being up in the mountains there is a sense of solitude & peace. Coming across an old croft, standing stones or ancient burial mounds can evoke memories, ideas and imagination.

Years of walking through the fields, hills and mountains, past old farms and crofts in Scotland and then tramping in New Zealand reignites the same memories & ideas. Between the iconic NZ “batch” and the Scottish “croft” they somehow are connected and find their way onto my ceramics. These along with exploring layers of glazes, colours, textures and how far I can stretch and push the clay stopping just before it collapses, is exciting and fun.

Although I may have a faint idea it’s often the clay guiding me, my hands begin to produce a shape, a flow, and suddenly I know where I’m going. These days often an animal appears in the form and I’m enjoying this range of work and where it’s leading me.

I hope my ceramics make people smile, look again, try and figure out how it’s been made and simply enjoy it.