Three Ceramic Paintings for St Austell, Channelling Bernard Leach in The Age of Aquarius.
Cornwall is not only famous for the raw material of china clay but also as the birthplace of studio ceramics in the UK, led by the “Father of British Studio Pottery” Bernard Leach who set up the St Ives Pottery in 1920. Inspired by Chinese, Japanese and Korean traditional pottery, Leach made simple, natural looking pots and tiles, decorated with images such as willows, mountains and temples.
Simon Bayliss, potter, painter, performer & DJ, has brought Bernard Leach’s tiles to date using imagery inspired by his experience of being a young artist in Cornwall and the landscape around St Austell.
In the central panel of Three Ceramic Paintings the willows of Leach’s work have been replaced with icons like Celtic hearts, hedgerow leaves & eclipses, and a car bumper sticker stands in for the clay tips.
On another panel an orchid represents lush Cornish gardens. On the third panel an abstract hand painting shows the sheer enjoyment of working with colour and clay. The three panels are all surrounded by Simon’s trademark crimped pasty edges.
Three Ceramic Paintings has been especially commissioned for the Whitegold Project, celebrating china clay and the unique people and culture of St Austell.
Simon Bayliss is an artist and music producer based in St Ives, Cornwall, UK. He works mainly in slipware ceramics, video, poetry, watercolour painting and performance. Bayliss also makes and performs dance music as a solo artist and in collaboration with Susie Green, as Splash Addict.
