Becca Brown, potter

Becca Brown

Becca Brown illustrates so beautifully on porcelain, her pieces tell a story. Here you can find out more about her and her work. I love how one of her three ‘things’ with ceramics is the ceramics community. I feel privileged to be a small part of the ceramics community which really is the best.

Who are you?

I'm Becca, I'm a potter based in Sheffield but originally from Scotland. I was born in Fort William but grew up in Inverness, and I stayed in Scotland for university in Aberdeen and then Edinburgh before moving to Sheffield for the Ceramic Starter Studio Programme at Yorkshire Artspace in 2017. My degree was in Textile & Surface Design before I went on to do a Masters in Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art and then a residency there the following year, where I had a bit more time and freedom to combine all these aspects into the beginnings of what I make now.

A beautifully illustrated plate

Why do you also have a thing with ceramics?

I'm not sure why exactly but I sort of knew I did as soon as I tried it. I like that the clay is kind of stubborn, like things have to be done at a certain dryness or after a certain stage, and that you can try and cut corners but if you do then probably further along the process the clay will be like 'Nope! No chance', and really you have to just give it time and do it properly. I've been working with porcelain for a while and I really enjoy how fussy it is and find it completely worth it for the final outcome after it's out of the kiln.

When I was trying to answer this question I could narrow it down to loving three 'things' about ceramics - firstly handbuilding through pinching and coiling is so satisfying and methodical and actually kind of calming, which suits my frantic brain. I've tried other ways of making such as slip casting and throwing but always come back to making pinch pots because it just feels right, and I like that sometimes it's seen as sort of a beginners technique that you should start off with and then move on, but actually it takes a lot of work to be able to get the clay to a fairly even thickness and to be able to control the form. My second favourite thing about ceramics is the surface, I love printing and drawing onto it and for a while I've been playing around with ways of drawing on the clay by using different techniques, which feels an endless thing to explore. There's loads I've not tried yet or not even thought of trying yet and it's so exciting to think of. I really enjoy teaching people how to make things with clay and I really love looking at, talking about and collecting other artists pots too. This makes me feel bad for my non pottery friends cause I'm always trying to talk about clay but thankfully we have things like ceramics markets and pottery fairs to meet up and be nerdy together, so my final 'thing' is the ceramics community.

So cute

When did ceramics come into your life?

I remember always enjoying plasticine and clay in primary school projects and playing with polymer clay a couple of times as a teenager. And I got given a toy pottery wheel when I was really young but I don't remember using it more than once because I've got vague memories of it splashing clay everywhere, so probably my mum didn't want it out much!

But in my last year of my degree in Textiles I started to see lots of illustrators and surface pattern designers working with ceramics - Kaye Blegvad, Leah Reena Goren and some others who's names I can't remember. I had just finished a semester abroad and was feeling really excited about the freedom of my final year project so when I knew I wanted to try and work with clay I went to the ceramics department and asked if I could join. There was a great technician called Gavin Burnett who very patiently helped me make some pots and plates, along with the other students who were really encouraging. I remember finding it so friendly in comparison to the textiles/fashion department which always felt a bit intimidating. I was really excited when the ceramics were well received at my degree show and at New Designers so I tried to make some more when I moved home after uni, covering my parents house in dust and really making some pretty crap and very warped things.

At the end of the summer I put in a last minute application to do my MA at Edinburgh College of Art and by chance we shared a studio with the Glass students so there were kilns! There was an Artist in Residence called Riikka Haapasaari who had studied Ceramics and Glass at RCA and she messaged one of her old course mates to ask for a firing programme for bisque and for porcelain (which I have barely adjusted since!) and then I could just go for it.

After spending some time making pinch pots and drawing with underglaze pencils, I began going to Cyan Clayworks for tuition with Fiona Thompson and Chris Donnelly, who showed me more techniques to draw and print on clay.

Where can we find you on a typical day?

Either at my studio, or my part time job! Alongside making pots I work with young people in an Alternative Provision at Heeley City Farm, in a role that's definitely separate from my ceramics work but also feeds back into some of my drawings I think. I often feel self conscious about not being a 'proper' artist and doing this full time but I think I'd maybe make less fun pots if I was completely self employed for several reasons - interacting with and observing people feeds in to what I like to draw and if I was alone in the studio it would just be me chatting to my dog, so not a lot of inspiration there. But also I think it's important to be honest that it's really not an easy way to make a living if you don't have a business-like approach, a safety net of some savings or an additional income stream, so I would be worrying a lot about what I was making and maybe the drawings and pots would look less free, or I would certainly feel more pressure while making them. Saying this, it is really difficult to juggle both careers and I feel pretty stretched in all directions as a result. Maybe that's oversharing but in case there's anyone waiting on an email reply at the minute who happens to read this - this is why!! This way of working really makes me appreciate uninterrupted studio days even more though because I'm very lucky to have a wee space of my own at Yorkshire Artspace, so usually the whole day is spent in there, occasionally stopping for a tea break and chat with my studio neighbours and for a dog walk with Lucky, my Jack Russell.

Brushing hair

What are your plans for the future?

I really hope to get more of a balance between both jobs! In the near future, I plan to build up a collection of pieces for markets and exhibitions later in the year, using a bit more of the business side of my brain to plan what to make and get on with it! However, since it is my summer holidays from my other job, I'm going to set aside some time to experiment with coloured porcelain and different colours of ink monoprints, make some new plaster press moulds for the bases of my pots, and to draw on some bigger pots. I'm looking forward to taking part in a woodfiring with Sherwood Forest Woodfiring Society and helping with the preparation in the lead up, which will be new for me - I've never used a chainsaw before!!! My ceramic daydreams of the distant future are that one day I'd love to take part in some markets in Europe, take part in exhibitions further afield and take part in some residencies across the world, where I can learn new approaches to working with porcelain, building bigger decorated pots and working with different surface decoration techniques.