Clay and me – an ongoing passion!

I studied ceramics as a mature student after living in Canada for a number of years.  Indeed, I first went to pottery evening classes in Toronto to relax from the pressures of my work!  And was hooked, returned to the UK and went to art college and studied ceramics.

I then moved to Yorkshire and started Dianne Cross Ceramics.

I designed and made reduction fired domestic stoneware for over 25 years, building several gas kilns during this time. Work was sold at galleries, exhibitions and events throughout the UK and Europe. I  have also taught ceramics at various levels.

I now make handbuilt ceramics in my garden studio overlooking the Aire Valley in West Yorkshire.

The Blue Shore collection evokes a feeling of the sea shore and coastline. Individually constructed boxes, vases, wall pieces and vessel forms feature washes of cobalt and copper with occasional ‘pops’ of yellow over a matt white glaze. These imagined seascapes/marine landscapes encourage the viewer to see their own ‘picture’ rather than illustrating a specific view.  Some are stormy, others quiet and calm or sunny and bright.

Recently I've made some ovoid sculptures. I’m interested in the interplay between textured surfaces and gold leaf, applied to allow some of the underlying colour to show, especially with black clay.

These are constructed using thick clay coils, thinned out from inside. Texture is added using a reclaimed piece of wood then the form stretched by hand again from inside to slightly distort the texture.  A wash of black iron oxide is applied then a matt off white glaze and washes of cobalt. The black clay work is left unglazed. After firing small pieces of gold leaf are applied overlapping each other to create some texture.

All my work is individually slab built using stoneware clay and my own glazes in my garden studio overlooking the Aire valley in West Yorkshire.