The Fiery Beacon Gallery

Contemporary art and crafts in the Cotswolds

Pierced Cylinders

Louise Darby

Louise has a reputation for finely thrown stoneware and porcelain, and has made the techniques of incising and carving very much her own. Stylised images of animals, birds, fish and plants are cut freehand into the leather-hard clay and, after biscuit firing, are inlaid with her own eggshell smooth glazes. In pleasing contrast to these animated pieces, there are those where she uses simple wax resist banding that enhances the forms. The fine craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail and sensitive balance between clay and glaze surfaces make Louise’s work at once pleasing to the hand and satisfying to the eye.