Ceramic birds sculptures

Bird motives have been with me almost since the beginning of my career. I associate them with freedom, drive and independence. The variety of colours, the patterns of feathers and the graceful wings are true creative muses for artists.

I like to surprise people with my work. To create something that makes you stop, look closely and feel a certain emotion. I want to prove that art does not have to be boring, or that you need a degree in art criticism to understand it.

My ideas are often inspired by my surroundings: people, nature, sensations or objects. For example, the four ceramic birds sculptures – a peacock, a peewit, a wagtail and a rook – were inspired by  a water tap design.

The ceramic birds sculptures collection was created in collaboration with the household ceramics brand ‘Villeroy & Boch’ to celebrate the company’s 275th anniversary. It was the taps they produced that became the birds’ heads and dictated the design decisions. The most important step in the process is choosing the right materials. The taps I used were heavy and robust, so I had to choose a technique that could withstand the heavy weight. The perfect solution was the strong and reliable fireclay that I was using for the first time.

A team of outstanding specialists – masters of stained glass, metal and fireclay – have contributed to the ceramic birds collection. Some cut and polished coloured, uneven handmade glass feathers – it was a real challenge to polish the edges without ruining the texture; others turned, bent, welded and polished brass. A talented ceramicist moulded, dried and fired the bird bodies from a plasticine prototype I made.

Even before I started sketching, I knew I wanted to create sculptures that were stylised but easily recognisable. I used coloured glass feathers and a brass bow to represent the colourfulness and ornamentation of the peacock’s tail. The rook’s body is black, so it’s the only one in the collection, with expressive purple handmade glass details. The peewit’s tail is a replica of a water tap, and the wings are green glass glued to brass rings. The expressive raised tail of the wagtail is represented by a greenish glass detail.