Martin McWilliam

Based in Germany Martin is a highly acclaimed maker internationally, with award winning pieces in museums and galleries all over the world.

Best known for his coil/slab-built Stoneware, Martin McWilliam brings historic designs into the modern century with the use of glass and metal. His methods are as simple / direct as possible where chance has space to surprise. This leads him along a narrow ridge between his own will and that of the materials.

McWilliam’s vessels are wood-fired in a chamber kiln and coloured with kaolin slips. Prepared surfaces are then struck off after the firing with a hammer and a chisel to reveal an archaeological looking core. This process reveals images of pottery as well as abstract geometric patterns.

Martin describes his work as ‘ Clay – Water – Wood Fire – Space. The simple historic vessels that had inspired me to be a potter seemed out of my reach – the type of pot that was proclaimed beautiful in Japan over five hundred years ago. From the early nineties I worked on the external image of a vessel – almost removing the third dimension creating a reversed “Trompe-l’œil” type of vessel. It seemed in this space I was almost closer to the original than trying to replicate it.’

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