Barry Stedman came to ceramics after a career in retail when he was enticed by the possibilities of clay to express abstract ideas of colour and form. He completed a Ceramics degree at the University of Westminster, Harrow in 2009 where he received the Caparo Award, and joined the studio of Edmund de Waal as an assistant the same year. Stedman’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and galleries across the UK and internationally.
Stedman’s intention as a ceramic artist is to make colourful, dynamic forms that come out of a deep connection to the landscape. His work is rooted in the directness and urgency of drawing outside; responding to the weather, drama, and life which surrounds his garden studio by the river Flit in Bedfordshire. Wheel thrown, the earthenware vessels are scored and marked, before being painted with layers of vivid colour slips and enhanced with a bright clear glaze.
