Welcome to the Kiosk 4

Time for another Kiosk feature. Today I'm really excited to introduce Alex Sickling.  I discovered Alex's work a few months ago by chance. Her work is deceptively gentle and naive, yet within it lies bold strokes of lively humour. There is a real sensitivity for the materials she employs and a fresh twist on the historical and artistic themes she works with.  

Alex has only just graduated from Leeds College of Art but already her work feels like it has a confident identity. I hope you enjoy these snippets of thought and work, and urge you to investigate Alex's work further. Don't miss the papercut image at the end of this post. It is beautiful and is still making me chuckle.

 

 

EC  Firstly, for those who may not know your work, how would you describe what you do? 

AS  I’m an image-maker and ceramicist, I tend to focus on personal briefs creating paper cuts and ceramic objects.

EC  You studied Visual Communication and have explored quite a variety of mediums. What is it that draws you to Ceramics in particular?

AS  Originally it was the idea of creating a functional object that was exciting, and now it’s about the whole making process, which is lengthy but when complete is the best feeling ever!

EC  Tell me a bit about your work process. Do you have a clear goal in mind for projects or do they evolve spontaneously? 

AS  I usually start off with a basic theme that I’m into at the time, and then I’ll begin to sketch out a couple of ideas and think of words that are associated with the theme. I usually jump straight into the making side of things, as I get impatient. Whilst waiting for pieces to come out of the kiln I’ll be developing the images further using pen and ink.

EC  Personal project or client brief?

AS  This is tricky I’d say personal, but as a recent graduate client briefs are important they help pay the bills.

EC  Is there an era or style that inspires you?

AS  At the moments I’m a fan of classical portraits they have some of the best faces.

EC What would you most like to see your work on?

AS  Maybe tiles… kitchen tiles, bathroom tiles, floor tiles, there’s not enough variety in the tiling world.

EC  Tell me one thing about you that no one would guess from looking at your work.

AS  Baby calves are my favourite animal.

EC  The Kiosk likes to enjoy the simple things. What is your favorite word, colour, shape, artist and food?

 AS  Worm, minty green, hexagon, Hockney, and tzatziki and chips

EC   The Kiosk loves a to do list. What is next on your agenda?

AS  Get to Bestival and find my tickets

Finish an image and screen print some t’s

Find a kiln

Buy some clay

Make stuff!

Thanks to Alex for taking the time to visit the Kiosk. I've really enjoyed it, and having tried it, I can highly recommend the tzatziki and chips. I also recommend that you look at her website here. You can check out her blog here. And if you liked the Hunter plate featured in this post, you can buy it here. Can't wait to see what Alex makes next.

Please note all images are © Alex Sickling 2012