Russell
My name is Russell Kingston and I make Devonshire Slipware it’s the perfect medium for me. Its roots in North Devon are what drew me to it. Its humble origins of the everyday medieval pot to its vibrant place in todays studio pottery. My pots are made for the kitchen and table, I hope that they are used and enjoyed in everyday life.
My work is wheel thrown and slab built. Pots are to be used, so forms are simple and Robust. Rims are rolled for strength and to mirror the chunky ring at the bottom; which is used for slipping and glazing. Handles are pulled from the pot as if they have grown there. Slip is dipped, poured, brushed, trailed and splashed with animated movements. Colour is achieved using oxides in slips. Pots are then fired in a large homemade gas kiln in oxidation to 1100c or so..
Although my work is deeply rooted in the North Devon Slipware traditions, it has a freshness that sits well in any modern gallery or home. I marry old techniques with newer ones, using wet on wet slips so they bleed into one another and slip trailers but with force to achieve splashes with feathered edges. I add slab “beaks” to my jugs then shape them in the way a normal spout is shaped. Using slabs allows me to mix in different textures that the slip picks up. I throw then alter shapes to achieve things that can not be done on a wheel alone. The colours I have developed are fresher and more contemporary than traditional slipware and more inline with today's market.