Claire Dines

I am a Norwegian ceramic artist who is inspired by natural forms, texture and patterns. All my pots are hand-built and are mostly sculptural pieces. I also make some functional bowls and vases.For me a good pot is when all the elements of form, surface texture and pattern work together. The resulting object can be functional, as in a fruit bowl or a vase. However, the best pots are beyond mere function in that I want to touch and stroke them or just sit and contemplate how light enhances or even distorts their form.After I lost my youngest son I returned to ceramics after some time away. Through the process of creating and making I found renewed meaning in my life. I love all parts of the hand-building process and have an intense, personal involvement in the making of my pots. I feel energised when I am attempting to build out of thin clay walls the shape I have in my head (and sometimes on paper!). There is fear there too, as the risk of failure is always present.My work is mostly fired to stoneware temperatures, although I have for a while now been bitten by the raku bug using the naked (unglazed technique. I am also visiting old haunts by building and drawing birds again inspired from my many past visits to The Outer Hebrides.When I have to spend time away from making I draw and take photographs that I use later in the making.