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My Ceramics

In the studio I like to do	Throwing on the Wheel
Pottery Wheel	Cowley double drive
Clay body	Stoneware
Kiln Type	Electric Kiln
Kiln Atmosphere	Oxidation Atmosphere
Temperature	995 degrees c bisq 1180 degrees c glaze
Glaze	All of my decoration has been created using my own handmade clay slips. Each one has been created using my clay body and different body stains and oxides. After the first firing I brush a clear handmade glaze onto the main themes of my designs leaving the rest of the piece matt.
You can buy my work from	my ceramic shop I sell my work through many galleries across the UK

About Me

Introduction	My name is Tiffany Scull and I’m based in Dorset in the UK. I create unique one off handmade decorated and thrown ceramic pieces. Each one has been decorated with my own designs using handmade slips and sgraffito. I’m interested in the natural world and have been a huge animal lover since I was small.
What I Love about Ceramics	Ceramics for me is such a captivating and ever evolving way of creating art. I love all the different factors which come into play when using ceramics from the drawings, designs, 3D making and the science of the firing and understanding the chemical reactions between my slips and glazes. Not to mention firing an electric kiln and making sure this all works really well together to create that beautifully finished final piece.
How I started with ceramics	I had spent a few years already at Art college when I had a module on clay, and I was totally hooked. From then on, I specialised in clay work and was allowed to play and develop at college creating large hand-built pots. After finishing college, I went to work a small pottery on the isle of wight which is where I learnt to throw. I then moved to Dorset and worked in a gallery which had a pottery at the back, and this is where I discovered sgraffito. That was over 20 years ago and I still and so excited by the possibilities this technique offers.
What inspires me	I find inspiration from images of different animals and creatures from around the Glode. I’m hoping to have a show in the next few years where I will work with a specific photographer, and I will use their images to create a very special range of pieces. At the final exhibition both the ceramics and the photos will be on show, and I’m excited to see what the reaction will be. I try to visit places as much as I can to see the real animals, but this usually means a trip to a place like butterfly world on the isle of wight or London Zoo.
What I'm working on at the moment	I’m currently working on a new series of wall art pieces which will have a coloured background and I’m hoping to mount these in box frames. This will allow me to create some of the pieces I have had designed in my head for many years such as a Toucan resting on a branch and a pair of Cockatoos.
My Artist Statement	Artist Statement Since being a small girl Tiffany has loved to draw and was encouraged to develop this through her childhood. Her excitement for the magical possibilities of clay began at Art College and these feelings have never faded. Discovering and specializing in the beautiful technique of Sgraffito has allowed her to pair up her two loves of drawing and clay work. She is passionate about this time-consuming process and has developed a distinctive and unique style, with each piece being made, and meticulously decorated by hand. Telling a story and trying to capture a fleeting moment in time she finds very fascinating. Birds and fish are particular favourites, and she hopes to give the impression they may take flight from a vessel or dish at any moment. Her forms and designs are ever changing, and she have numerous sketch books waiting to come to life. Inspirations Art Nouveau, The Arts and Crafts movement and the natural world are all inspirational finding connections with the use of both nature and pattern. Gustav Klimt, Maurice Sendak, Elizabeth Fritsch and Mary Wondrausch are among some of her other influences. The making process Because her decoration is created using slips and clay at leather hard, she is only able to work on one piece at a time. The drying process starts as soon as work begins and slowing this down is crucial as it makes more time to create such complex designs. First, detailed pencil drawings are made of the animals and their habitats that are intended to decorate the next pieces with. The forms are thrown using a white stoneware clay which are turned whilst leather hard. The smooth forms then go through several different processes creating a 3D effect on the clay surface. The raised surface of the design then has several blended layers of different slip colours applied which are unique to Tiffany and have been developed over many years. At the final stages contrasting slip colours are added and all the details drawn on using sgraffito with different handmade pointed tools. Each piece is then left to dry slowly before the two firings. After the first bisque a clear glaze is brushed onto the main themes leaving the rest of the piece matt creating a tension between the glazed and unglazed surface. The final glaze firing is to 1180°c in an electric kiln. Sgraffito This word translated from Italian means ‘to scratch away’ and has been used by many cultures to decorate buildings, paintings and pottery. It was first used in China during the 11th and 12th century AD and in Europe during the 16th century as relief decoration on buildings.
My CV	Taking part in both Art in Clay ceramic fairs Being filmed and featured in Ceramic Review for a masterclass in sgraffito