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Suzanne Vicenzotti,
United Kingdom
Website: http://www.suzannevicenzotticeramics.com
Email: sue.vicenzotti@hotmail.com
Artist Statement: Clay is the most fundamental and haptic material, wonderfully malleable to sculpt and form. It contains an energy which is transformed through the alchemy of firing, allowing the magic of my sculptures on a large and small scale to become solid.
Studio Description: I have a studio at home where I make mostly small scale work and undertake commissions. Currently completing an MA in Applied arts, specialising in ceramic sculpture and am applying for the position of Artist in Residence for 2020.
What type of clay do you use? Clay from a local forest, brick clay, Ashraf Hanna and crank. I add recycled paper to my claybodies.
What temperature do you fire to? Both bisque and stoneware.
What is your primary forming method? Handbuilding.
What is your favorite surface treatment? Layering lava and crawling glazes and rubbing back to create geological surfaces.
Do you make any of your own tools? I have made my own cutting wires and made rolling pins from recycled furniture. I also shape, cut and adapt old expired plastic cards to make texturing tools.
What one word would you use to describe your work? Atavistic.
What is your favorite thing about your studio? It is bespoke, designed by me.
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without? My top loader.
What are your top three studio wishes? To have a bigger studio. To live by the sea one day. To hopefully sell what I make.
What’s on your current reading list? The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C Morais.
How do you save money on materials and supplies? I currently get a student discount and always look out for sales from suppliers.
How do you recharge creatively? I walk in local woods and do Yoga twice a week. I also enjoy seeing exhibitions and am an avid film watcher.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency? I have an Eco top 60 which is very efficient being only single phase. I only fire with a full kiln.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome? To work on a larger scale, work may have to be modular to enable this.
What did you first piece look like? It's so long ago I can't remember, it may have been a life size head of my daughter when she was fourteen. I've made a few strides forward since then.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why? To be able to look at a glaze and know what it was composed of and what temperature it had been fired at. This would be amazingly useful.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why? Ewen Henderson whose work is inspirational.
What is your studio playlist? A very eclectic mix from reggae to 60's to classical and hang drum music.
Why do you create art? Because it poses a constant challenge and there are always new ideas to explore and develop.
What is your best studio tip? Keep everything neat and clean and in labelled containers, it's not easy to work in a messy environment.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be? Nothing, I love working with it as it is and stretching its boundaries to see what it can do.