Clare Conrad was born in London. She studied Ceramics at Bristol Polytechnic (now the University of the West of England) graduating in 1987, and that same year she exhibited her work at the British Crafts Council’s Chelsea Crafts Fair in London. In her elegant stoneware works she tries to capture the poignant beauty and drama of weathering and corrosion - the point of balance between existence and decay.
Clare has been a Professional Member of the Craft Potters Association since 1996 and became an elected Fellow in 2014. She has exhibited extensively in the UK and abroad, and her work is held in private collections worldwide.
Clare looks to capture the poignant beauty and drama of weathering and corrosion - the point of balance between existence and decay. Finding the vessel form the most satisfying to use she enjoys the traditional method of wheel-throwing, which adds to the sense of capturing time. She plays with simplicity and elegance of form achievable with throwing-ribs to eliminate finger ridges, using 'T' material - strong, high-quality, coarse clay - that is mixed with a smooth white stoneware to make it throwable. Forms are thrown slowly and meticulously to give thin-walled, yet strong, subtly rugged, finely balanced pieces. Large forms are thrown in several sections, with much refining, when leather hard, similar to a hand-built, coiled pot.
For many years Clare has experimented with methods of colour application to the surface of my pots, having been entranced by the peeling paint and sun-faded natural colours in Southern Europe. Later, when living near the coast in Kent added a contrasting strand to her work - stark, white chalk, deep green/blue sea, erosion and the natural colours and markings of flints. She uses vitreous slips, which are mixed and intermixed from raw materials with primary colour glaze stains; in this way she can achieve an infinite palette of subtle colours, which she applies to the exterior surface in layers, whilst the pot is still damp. The expressive, apparent randomness of the design belies the laborious and careful method necessary to achieve it. Concentration is of the essence, as the ratio of dampness of pot to slip is crucial and the resulting colour is not revealed until after the final firing. The interior matt glaze is formulated to complement and provide a dramatic contrast to the rugged exterior.
