Amy Cooper Ceramics

CATEGORY: Porcelain
METHOD: Casting
COLOUR: White
TEXTURE: Very Smooth
FIRING RANGE: 1180°c – 1260°c

Amy Cooper Ceramics is a Cornwall, UK based company designing and making unique porcelain lighting. Established over 14 years ago we have supplied a number of prestigious retailers including The National Trust, House of Fraser and the V&A shop as well as exhibiting extensively in the UK and overseas.

The work is inspired by the world under the sea, the world under the microscope and the magic of landscapes at twilight. My designs address the fragility and transience of life and the natural world, utilising the transformative properties of light with porcelain. I explore a monochromatic spectrum that is created through the use of textures, variation in thickness and diffusion. I am intrigued by the endless variations in nature and the idea of an ongoing evolutionary process of adaptation.

The work is created through an elaborate series of processes and techniques. All the pieces are initially slipcast in porcelain, they are then treated in one of two ways.

To create ‘The Illustrated Range’ the pieces are bisque fired before a painstakingly hand-cut paper stencil is applied. After which the piece is sandblasted until the design stands proud, The stencil is removed before high firing which allows the inherent translucency of the porcelain to create a soft silhouette visually as well as texturally. Finally they are diamond polished before being wired up.

Alternatively, the pieces are manipulated when soft out of the mould, bumps and dents are coaxed up through the still malleable clay. The piece is then allowed to dry out before being fettled, sponged and bisque (low) fired. After bisque the pieces are wet sanded to create a lovely blemish free surface and either glazed with a crawling glaze that creates a texture like cracked earth or left naked to be diamond polished after a second (high) firing. All my work is currently fired to 1250 °C in an electric kiln.

I live in Cornwall with my husband who is also my business partner and our two children. We work from our studio at home. All the designs have been professionally tested and are certified as compliant.

Amy uses Special Porcelain – Slipcast and individually altered and decorated – fired to 1250°C.

Visit their website: amycooperceramics.co.uk