Sally Woodford

Beach inspired clay sculpture. Hand built using coil and slab techniques in a variety of clays, the work explores the combination of fire and clay using earthenware, raku and smoke kiln firings.

There is a close affiliation between the beach stones I collect and my work.

I make ceramic sculpture, experimenting with combinations of clays and kiln firings to capture the essence of the beach scape at Bembridge. By using hand building techniques each piece evolves slowly, enabling it to develop its own character, to become individual while retaining evidence of the maker and reflecting the influences from many other sources, including neolithic artifacts. The technical challenges of working with clay and fire provides endless inspiration.

The scale of my work ranges from 10cm clay ‘flints’ to 175cm standing forms, with large bowls up to 50cm diameter formed in plaster moulds made from mooring buoys. The work is either high fired to 1260ºC or Raku and saggar smoke fired.

Sally Woodford studied 3D design, Ceramics at Middlesex Polytechnic 1977-1980. She married and moved to the Isle of Wight in 1981 and worked with clay until starting a family in 1987. She began again in her new studio in 2006.