Artist Q&A: Sara Flynn

Are there other influences you draw on?

It probably won’t come as a great shock, but from the start I was drawn to Hans Coper’s sense of form. He was a master of combining form, volume and surface to make a single cohesive piece. I love Lucie Rie’s work too – her glazes and surfaces are incredible; some of her pieces are magic. Magdalene Odundo for obvious reasons… utterly beautiful ‘human’ vessels.

All massively inspiring.

Why did you choose early on to work with porcelain and what does it offer you that other types of clays don’t?

To my mind, it is simply important that a potter uses the appropriate clay for the forms they wish to make; porcelain does this for me. It is capable of crisp edges and precise definition. It offers a smooth white canvas which can be a base for stunning colour-response. It’s gorgeous to throw with and beautiful to scratch and scrape to define silhouettes.

But it is also worth saying that there can sometimes be a ‘snob-factor’ to porcelain – as if it is better than another clay. I do not hold to this theory. It can be a hard task-master and limits scale. It has limitation, good points and bad points… like any material. But it’s right for me for now.

What is the creative process you go through when making a vessel?

My process involves throwing an initial shape on the wheel, and then manipulating it in various ways. This is the ‘play’ part, and is full of trial and error. Most of the pieces at this stage are experimental and can look awful. This is when I need to hold my nerve. Eventually through experience and skill and a sharper eye, the successful pieces start to emerge. The finishing and refining of the work is very slow but deeply satisfying.

Do you sketch out ideas first? Is drawing an important part of the process?

I do preliminary sketches but they serve only as starting points. The real ‘drawing’ happens in 3D when I am engaged with the making process. The slow development of the final forms by cutting, pushing, pulling is a form of drawing which is the real fuel for the design (thinking) process.

You are constantly experimenting with new glazes and finishes. Can you tell us a little about this process?

I both love and hate glazing. I am totally contradictory about it. On the one hand I am unendingly excited about the possibilities of ceramic surfaces… and yet the glaze-testing and application is my least favoured element of the whole making-process. Glaze testing can eat time and offer awful results which can be demoralising. Getting the application right is crucial and I am often a bit anxious at this stage. So much can go wrong and I am annoyed at my vulnerability.

BUT.
When all the testing comes together to produce the right glaze/colour/surface quality it is the absolute magic final piece in the puzzle to making the vessels ‘sing’. It is the make-or- break to my work and makes it all worthwhile when it is right. For all of my moaning about it the experimentation and testing of new glazes won’t stop.
I love it really.

How do you feel about your work joining The Hepworth Wakefield’s collection through John and Terry’s gift? What does it mean to you for your work to be shown in this context?

It’s a massive honour. To be in the company of such esteemed artists is an incredible buzz. The fact that the work will be shared and potentially seen by so many – and in such a stunning building as The Hepworth Wakefield – is the stuff of dreams. The generosity and vision (from both John & Terry and then also of course the Hepworth) behind the whole gift is a beautiful thing to be connected to.