Angela Mellor | Developing a more spontaneous approach to decorating.

Angela Mellor

"Conventional forms... retain both their functional identity but also serve as a natural canvas for decoration. 

Angela Mellor | Symphony in Black and White

My love of ceramics began whilst teaching in the 70s and I furthered my studies in 1984 at the University of East Anglia under the direction of Peter Lane, ceramist and author, who introduced me to porcelain. I have been working in bone china since 1991 using traditional slip casting techniques: designing my own models, making plaster moulds, and finally slipcasting translucent pieces. Conventional forms, vessels, bowls and plates retain both their functional identity but also serve as a natural canvas for decoration.

By exploring its [Bone China] whiteness and translucency I was able to articulate my fascination with the distinctive qualities of light found there [Tasmania], being so close to the Antarctic.

In 1995 I went to live in Perth, Western Australia and travelled many times to Indonesia. In 1997 I was kindly invited to do research by Les Blakebrough in Tasmania, where I developed a bone china paperclay. By exploring its whiteness and translucency I was able to articulate my fascination with the distinctive qualities of light found there, being so close to the Antarctic. This was followed by a move to Melbourne where I completed a Graduate Scholarship for MA Research at Monash University. These opportunities afforded me the chance to develop my work in bone china and I pioneered the use of bone china paperclay, resulting in Honourable Mentions in International competitions in Japan and Korea.

Angela Mellor | Symphony in Black and White

Angela Mellor | Bone China set on stone

The bright sunlight in Western Australia and its effect upon the landscape made a great impact on me and influenced the development of my work. On returning to Perth, I set up my own studio. An Australian Crafts Council Grant enabled me to collaborate with a lighting designer for a year so as to research the translucency of bone china, which has become the driving force in my work today.

Black slip dances around pure white bone china vessels, drawing the eye inside and out, over and under.

I returned to the UK in 2006 to set up a studio in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

I have recently developed a more spontaneous approach to decorating, as can be seen in the ‘Symphony in Black and White’ series which evokes melodic movement. Black slip dances around pure white bone china vessels, drawing the eye inside and out, over and under. These rhythmical forms recreate a spontaneous moment in time.

My Symphony work has developed alongside my handbuilt sculptural work in bone china paperclay. This is a medium I pioneered in 1997 as fragments of texture inspired by nature and incorporated into the work to create contrast and enhance translucency, which is still the driving force in my work today." Angela Mellor 2018

Angela Mellor BFA (Hons), MA is an elected member of the International Academy of Ceramics, Geneva and a Selected Member of the CPA. She has exhibited in Europe, Asia, Australia and USA. She is represented in public and private collections in China, Japan, Korea, USA, France, Latvia, UK, Australia and Italy, and her work has been published in many books.