Irena Sibrijns                                  

Most of Irena's work is utilitarian, and starts off on the wheel. The bigger pieces are one-off and are increasing made using slabs. The smaller, utilitarian pieces are made in limited editions. Although the shapes of her pots are very important to her, Irena tries to keep the lines simple and clean as a carrier for the decoration. She takes a very long time over the decoration, and it is the decoration on the pot, more than the shape which defines its uniqueness.

Irena uses a red earthenware clay, which she buys from Valentines in Stoke on Trent. All the work is covered in a white slip which functions as the base fro the decoration with bodystains and oxides dissolved in a watery version of the base slip. She uses latex and wax resists to layer of her decoration in order to achieve a depth of colour and definition fo the drawing. Irena migh then scratch through back to the colour of the clay depending on her mood, and whether she feels it suits the design.

She then biscuit the pots in a electric kiln at 1000 Celsius. After the biscuit firing she might add a bit more decoration using underglaze stains and pencils. The work is then covered in a clear glaze and fired to 1080 Celsius.

Irena has spent 7 years working as a potter in the South of France and although her work is firmly rooted in the English ceramic tradition, the years spent in France looking at the pots made by the local potters still influence her treatment of the clay and the colours she uses to decorate the pots.

Contact details:

Address: Teggers Barn,Hall Farm Lane, Suffolk, NR34 7JZ

Telephone: 01502 741040

Email: irena.sibrijins@btinternet.com

Website: http://web.mac.com/is.ceramics