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Patricia Helen Jones

Master of Ceramics

About me

Helen found her love for clay at sixth form college, concentrating on ceramics for the final year of her degree before beginning her career in teaching in 1998. During her teaching career, Helen has taught Art and Music at secondary and sixth forms around Lancashire before deciding to start the masters course at Uclan in 2020. Helen’s love of music started aged four and she has been singing ever since. Coming from a family of musicians, Helen has always found time for both her artistic and musical passions, combining them in her Masters work seemed a very natural way to celebrate her interests and communicate her personality through her work. Helen has a small home studio where she intends to continue producing her ceramics on a part-time basis until her retirment from education when she will have the chance to concentrate fully on her making.

My masters project has been inspired by my love of music and life as a musician. I have attempted to respond to important pieces of music which have been markers in my life through clay. My research and exploration of the phenomenon of synesthesia has informed my practice even though I do not have it. Challenges to create an impromptu response have seen me explore a wide range of making and decorative techniques in order to communicate the texture, timbre and dynamics of each piece of music through my vessel forms.

A example of an early test piece for the Nimrod range. Water-etching has been used to create the pattern on the side of the vessel and a green crackle glaze applied.

This test piece is a much later version of the bowl shape. Built using thin slabs which have had the Nimrod pattern impressed into it, the porcelain surface is treated with oxides and glaze.

Three bud vase test pieces completed whilst exploring shapes for my Nimrod range. Patterns are water-etched into the procelain clay. The pieces are unglazed.

A pocelain thrown bowl which has a water-etched pattern on the outside and inside of one part of the vessel. The bowl is glazed with a mock celadon glaze.

An example of a bowl from the final Nimrod range. Porcelain slabs, impressed with a pattern and pressed into a mould in small sections. Glazed with oxides and a mock celadon glaze.

A collection of three Nimrod bowls

Three earthenware bowls based on Joni Mitchell's song A Case of You. The coloured band of underglazes and oxides are enhanced with sgrafitto and a clear glaze.

An example of one of the earthernware 'A Case of You' vessels. Slab built and decorated using underglazes and oxides, covered with a clear glaze.

A slab built large bowl constructed in black clay. The slabs of clay have had a pattern impressed into them which is based on Mozart's Laudate Dominum. Highlighted with engobe.

A one-off pocelain piece with an underglazed pattern based on Mozart's laudate Dominum.

Keywords: music, clay, porcelain, slab, graphic score, Impressed, water-etched, musician, singer, Hand-built, deconstructed, fee-build, sculptural

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