Suki Stokes
My work is on the theme of animals, a subject that has always interested me. I loved horses from childhood, my earliest memory being of me sitting on my granddad's horse as he groomed it. My work is smoked fired; I try to avoid glazes because I am aiming for a warm, natural surface. My pieces are not exact copies of an animal, although I do research each figure, often from life. What I am aiming to show is the essence of the beast, the character. I often think my best work is of animals I have known, such as my horses and goats.
I trained first at the Kent Institute of Art and Design, in Rochester and later gained my ceramics degree at the Buckinghamshire College, in High Wycombe.
I use Earthstone, a white clay, fired to around 1100°C, I then fire the bisque pieces in an old wheelbarrow, using shredded paper, sawdust (often straight from my horse's stable) and in a pinch, straw. This colours the surface, I can alter the depth of colour by how tightly I pack the sawdust and how long I smoke it. I also mask off areas using wet clay, as a slip, painted or daubed on. When a piece is cool I ping off the mask, wash it clean and then rub in a beeswax to finish the surface.
As well as my artwork I also teach, I currently work in a special school with excluded children. A fantastic job, as these young people really respond to art with a passion.
I currently live in Maidstone and have three horses, two dogs and two ferrets!
Here is a really simple clear glaze I used to use on my chickens.