Emma Williams

Emma Williams makes decorative low fired ceramics in my Nottingham studio using a variety of techniques. Emma’s bowl forms are made by smoothing flat sheets of black stoneware clay into hand made plaster moulds. After removing them from the moulds she scrapes and smooths the work with tools and applies white slip to areas of the clay. Her brooches are cut from hand rolled sheets of clay. Following an initial biscuit firing to 1000oC, she dips, pours and brushes on a variety of glazes to create a range of intense colours and tactile surfaces, including vibrant matt turquoise barium glazes and textured ‘crawl’ glazes, so called because the glaze pulls or ‘crawls’ away from the clay surface as it heats up in an electric kiln to around 1050oC, creating the decorative effect. Inspiration for her work comes from myriad influences found in the natural world including rocks and minerals, birds’ eggs, and aged, weathered surfaces.