Ahead of Lustre, our nationally renowned craft and design market, we spoke to artist Sara Hughes Parry. Sara produces a variety of hand built work in small batches to create a world of clay creatures and shapes.
How do new ideas emerge for you and what is your process for developing them into finished pieces?
” Many of my ideas come while navigating my immediate environment and are dependent on how I react to the world that I create for myself. Because of this I am very protective over anything that influences my process. I unknowingly seem to gather information from conversations, stories, images, history, myth, nature etc and then when I discuss, sketch or sit down to make, the ideas that have resonated with me rise to the surface and create a path for me to move along. Much of the beginning process is unconscious and my ideas start taking shape as the clay object is formed. As I work on a piece, I hold it in mind throughout and as the form develops the original idea reveals itself until near the very end of the process when I begin to realise a name for the piece which, finally, acts to solidify its presence in my creative world.”
What do you enjoy most about the materials you work with?
“I love the speed with which I can start to form an idea into a physical form and how the tactile nature of clay can take you out of your head and into your hands. I enjoy working quickly to create character through movement and energy. I embrace the restrictions of what is physically achievable given the materials and tools I choose to use and find that my creativity can thrive within these self-imposed limitations. I enjoy how glazes have a mind of their own, almost like working with another person who you have no communication with. This creates an element of freedom because it takes responsibility away from me and creates a weird sort of unpredictable collaboration.”
What feelings do you hope your artworks bring to their eventual owners and users?
“I always hope my work will make a connection with people. And that anyone who owns my work will choose a piece for themselves or as a gift for someone else based on a connection they form for that piece specifically. Many of my pieces are created conceptually but also retain an ambiguity that allows the piece to act as a conduit for people to reflect on and express their own perceptions and emotions. I get a real kick out of listening to the public’s reactions and hearing how people interpret the work and the feelings it invokes. I hope whoever has my work enjoys its presence and feels that the piece can grow and evolve with them.”
Could you tell us about what you are working on at the moment?
“I have so many ideas still to explore but next on my list is to evolve my Tired Optimists and create larger works incorporating animals and mythical themes to explore more widely the contradictions and complexities that manifest in our physical and emotional reactions to navigating our daily lives.”
Meet Sara and see her beautiful creations at Lustre on 7th -9th November. Entry is free. Find out more.
To see more of Sara’s incredible work, visit her website here.
