Sandy Brown

In the centre of St Austell a unique sculpture has been made out of
china clay: the “Earth Goddess” sculpture represents a female figure in the form of an abstract plant, her body covered with colourful flower patterns, growing up out of the china clay beneath. The cross and circle on top are a universal symbol for female, taken from the sign representing Venus, the goddess of love. It is also a variation of the circle and cross found in Celtic crosses around Cornwall.

She is meant to be like nature reclaiming the old clay pits and a symbol of peace, love & hope for a positive greener future for the town and the rest of earth, in the face of shared challenges like climate change.

She is made of china clay from St Austell on the outside and stoneware clay from Stoke-on-Trent on the inside – symbolising the strong connections between these towns built on the clay industry. Weighing nearly 5 tonnes the artwork is 14 metres high, making it the tallest ceramic sculpture in the world.

The sculpture has been inspired by three years of community projects with hundreds of people in St Austell through the Green & Whitegold Festival and Brickfield with community groups, including some of the most vulnerable, those with disabilities, children, the elderly and women’s groups.

Sandy is one of the most well-known ceramicists in the UK. She was trained in the art of making ceramics at the Daisei Pottery in Mashiko, Japan. Brown’s art is represented by pieces in major public institutions, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Ulster Museum, Belfast; Aberdeen Museum & Art Gallery; the World Ceramic Centre, South Korea and the Museum for Applied Art in Frankfurt. Brown has been an important international artist for many years, whose works feature regularly in exhibitions all over the world. For many years she was the leading light behind the Appledore Arts Festival and has worked with artists from Richard Long to Peter Randall Page.

Based in North Devon she has been working since the 1970’s on ceramics inspired by the Leach legacy and the connection he gave between UK and Japanese and Asian traditions. She has brought her own abstract flamboyance to this tradition and relishes the painterly qualities of
glazing.

Find out more about her approach with Sandy talking with Marion Brandis and Susan Elliot about her project in our Ceramics In Public Places
film. sandybrownarts.com