ABOUT CHRISTINE CHERRY

I started my journey into ceramics over 30 years ago, at college in Stoke-on-Trent, learning my skills under tutors such as John Weber and Derek Emms. After gaining an honors degree in design, my career path moved into teaching.

A Primary School Teacher for over 25 years, I loved my job with its rewards...and challenges! However it was time for me to leave teaching and go back to creating. So here I am, 30 years after completing my ceramics degree, finally taking the plunge and starting a whole new adventure.  I now have a studio, in a community of creatives at 'Make North' studios in the center of Preston.  And, I must say, I am loving every minute of it.

I create two kinds of ceramic ware. My Porcelain is slip-cast Parian Porcelain. First I handcraft forms from clay or Plaster of Paris. I then make moulds for these and slip-cast vessels, using my own 30-year-old Parian-slip recipe. The forms are intricately carved and decorated. I work closely on each piece, individualising and finishing them. My work is fired to 1220°C and rarely glazed, as I prefer the noble quality of the medium to speak for itself. The Parian vessels are highly translucent, self-glazing and possess a marble-like finish, which is incredibly tactile.

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My stoneware range is thrown on a pottery wheel, turned and finished and then decorated using a variety of glazes and techniques. I glaze these vessels using a variety of beautiful ready made industry glazes on each piece. Several layers of glaze are painted by hand, resulting in an individuality on each vessel. All of the glazes I use are completely lead free, food safe and non toxic. I feel truly blessed to be given the opportunity to run my own studio and love the thrill of learning new things and creating something so individual and unique. How lucky I am!

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