News from the studio by Kate Buckley, pottery artist in York

Sometimes the best parties happen at home...

12/9/2022

Commissioned during York Open Studios in April, my latest commission (and my largest to date) has just been delivered to the clients after four intense months of mulling, making and discussing.

The property is a stunning design-led home in York which features an astonishing oak frame and glass rear section flooded with light. The commission was created for a specific 2.1 x 1.4m wall space in the family room, and went through several iterations before the final piece was decided on. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with a really delightful couple and am relieved and thrilled that they love the finished work.

From the beginning, the clients shared what they wanted from the piece and together we discussed various ways it could be achieved. In the end, a four-part piece of four quadrants in purples, blues, red, orange and yellow hand coloured porcelain was decided on. Interspersing the bold colour choices with shots of white, helped to keep it feeling light.

Commissioning such a large work is an expensive decision so it's important to me that freshness and longevity is built in. I designed the piece so that each section can be hung four ways, this means that they can be rotated within the space creating a new work each time. They can even be split and rehung in new spaces around the home creating more works!

The combination of a wild riot of colours, rippled edges, curvaceous movement and space make it feel like a party, so it's not at all surprising that the piece ended up being named FIESTA!