* CRAIG MITCHELL,
PARENTHOOD
handmade unique ceramic sculpture,
43cm high, 64cm long, 15cm wide
Note: Craig Mitchell is an Edinburgh based maker of magnificent ceramic figures. He established his studio practice in Edinburgh whilst working in the Ceramic Department at Edinburgh College of Art, latterly as a lecturer. Before this he achieved an MA in Ceramics at The Royal College of Art. "I create slightly surreal cartoon-like figurative ceramic sculptures that are intended to be visual puns about the human condition. I am aiming for simplistic appearing figures with the elegance of a bygone era and it is cartoonists and illustrators from the 50’s and 60’s such as, Miroslav Sasek, Ronald Searle, Edward Gorey, that inform my style. To construct my figures I roll out flat sheets of clay that I cut when leather hard, using paper templates that I have developed for each piece, rather like a tailor (or the shoemaker in the fairy tale) uses patterns. I build each component separately (feet, legs, torso) before joining them together. I generally fire larger elements in sections (eg figure and moped) often lying down or in a bespoke handmade setter. Once fired I assemble the finished glazed parts with steel pins and epoxy glue in order to achieve the dynamic poses. I predominately use Scarva ES20 white earthenware hand building clay which is then decorated with commercial underglazes and glazes sometimes with the addition of decals and lustres. I often use textures and decorative patterns at different stages of the making process. This may involve incising pattern into plaster bats and taking latex moulds which can be applied to surfaces". Only two examples of "Parenthood" have been made, both unique. To commission "Parenthood" direct from Craig Mitchell would cost £2400 (confirmed by email 1st November 2021).

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