Kate Vine.
Artist Statement.
This body of work captures my awe and respect for the rugged Kent coast I call home. I am intrinsically drawn to the power of the sea - on both calm and serene, or tumultuously stormy days. This installation is unassuming yet resolute; I have used functional forms to capture the natural beauty of a seascape.
Dungeness
Hand-built glazed stoneware
The table plate installation is an abstraction of a beach scene along the coast of Dungeness. An understated image of sombre seas, using colour, form and scale to express the tenderness and tranquillity of the experience. The forms have glazes in soothing tones and are hand-built using white stoneware; this makes each piece uniquely personal, showing my hand.
A Sea of Vases
Wheel-thrown brush glazed stoneware
By contrast, the table pieces are a series of wheel-thrown stoneware vases of varying heights, symbolising forms that have been washed and battered by the sea. I have used painterly brush strokes of glaze to capture the split second when the waves hit the shore. Each piece is singular and distinct, but together they demonstrate the magnitude and individuality of each wave. The colour choice mirrors the palette of the plate installation, just as the sea reflects the shoreline on a clear day.
About.
Katharine Gray Ceramics is a studio based in rural Kent, England, on the edge of the Pilgrim’s Way.
Founded by Kate in 2023, the artist originally earned a Fine Art Degree at university in upstate New York, with a focus on Ceramics and Textiles. Following university, she pursued a successful career in Interior Design for 20 years, before rediscovering her love for creating beautiful ceramics.
Kate specialises in all forms of decorative and functional ware, from full dinner services to unique ornamental bowls and elegant vases.
With a signature style that is natural and fresh. Kate’s work is inspired by the grey clay of the Connecticut River Valley where she was born and raised, the white rock of England’s southern coast where she now makes her home, and the ocean in-between.