Bridget Arnold Smoke Fired Ceramics

Bridget has been hand building in Stone ware and ‘T’ material Clay since leaving college in 1997.

She has been developing making enclosed forms that are much stronger than open forms and therefore respond well to smoke firing.

All her work is lovingly burnished with a silver spoon several times to create a smooth tactile surface that demands to be caressed. Her inspiration for her forms comes from living in South Devon and time spent on the coast collecting smooth pebbles and shells from the beach.

These Naked Clay forms then become a blank canvas for the smoke to decorate. Presently her work is influenced by Ferns and plants that grow near her home in Bovey Tracey on the edge of Dartmoor.

Smoke firing is the baptism of fire to get the still porous forms to absorb the smoke; resists stop the smoke entering certain parts. But each pod is unique as the fire has its own random nature depending on the weather and wind direction. So you never quite know what will come out of the fire. But that is part of the attraction of smoke firing for Bridget as she likes to give her pots over to nature once more.

The forms evolve into various objects – Simply sculptural; candle pods; clocks and Garden pods. She also makes tiles to create wonderful Smokey tiled mirrors.

Bridget has been a member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen for several years now and exhibits in the shop, the courtyard and in exhibitions.

Teaching is another string to her bow she teaches ceramics and silk painting freelance through Big Hand Little Hand, DAISI , RAMM and other organisations.

She is always open to talking about residencies for schools and commissions of her work and can be contacted via her website www.bridgetarnold.co.uk or email bridgetarnold66@aol.com

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