Paula Downing

Works
Overview
Paula Downing

Paula Downing's slabbed, pinched and coiled ceramics take clay back to its origins in the erosion and decomposition of rock. The volcanic finishes, deeply pitted surfaces, fissures, splits, stopes and rugged, monolithic shapes in her work mirror the natural actions of geology, and celebrate standing stones, way markers, forts, and the impact of ancient civilizations on the Cornish landscape.

Paula's pieces are built by hand in response to observational drawings and her visual memories of walking Cornwall's coast and moorland. Her use of form and surface reflects the shape, colour and evolution of this ancient county, making her ceramics as impactful and dramatic as any abstract painting, and documenting remote places that remain relatively unchanged by humankind.