| Introduction |
Hello, I am Sarah Urwin, a ceramic artist in Aoteroa/New Zealand. I work with wild and commercial clay to create figures and vessels. I love working in series and repetition, expressing movement and emotion.
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| What I Love about Ceramics |
Working with wild clay echoes the human dance with nature and each other. The processing of the clay, removing stones and organic material, working it until it is smooth and consistent, is soothing and meditative. Although the wild clay is processed in firing it takes its own direction. The colour, consistency, and its ability to adhere to the form is all a process of discovery, of happy surprise and of occasional disaster. The clay is a collaborator in the creative process, restless and sometimes incalcitrant. It nudges me with gentle reminders of the futility of trying to control nature.
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| How I started with ceramics |
While undergoing chemotherapy at the age of 18 I began my artistic journey with Ken Kendall in his woolshed studio, Masterston, New Zealand. Ken was a leading clay and bronze artist and he taught me figure sculpture. He gave me the skills, knowledge and passion to explore open heartedly what it means to be an artist.
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| What inspires me |
In my work in recent years I have found an appetite for taking risks, experimentation and humour. The figures, series and sculptures I create serve as vessels for storytelling, inviting viewers to reflect on their connections to one another and the world around them.
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| What I'm working on at the moment |
I’m currently working on a collaborative project for an exhibition called ‘Strange Relationships’. This opens in April
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| My Artist Statement |
Sarah Urwin’s work is deeply rooted in the exploration of human connection and the intricate relationship with the environment. Seeking to capture the nuances of emotion and interaction, connection, community and finding the small things that hold us to each other. Urwin says “I often work in series of repeated gestures that seek to draw the attention of the viewer. I am telling stories, bringing joy, seeking truth. I want the viewer to stop, to think, to feel, to be.”
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| My CV |
2024 Uku Clay Awards Hastings community arts centre
2024 Quarry Ceramic Awards Quarry Arts Centre
2024 Artbourne Wellesley College
2024 ‘2051’ Utopia Gallery
2024 Artist Residency at Driving Creek, Coromandel
2024 Four on the flour Whirinaki Whare Taonga
2024 Hold up Space Studio & Gallery
2023 The Portage Ceramics Awards Te Uru
2023 Waiclay Ceramics Awards Waikato Museum
2023 Small Sculpture Awards Waikato Society of Arts
2022 Wellington Regional Arts Review Whirinaki whare taonga
2022 Uku Clay Awards Hastings community arts centre
2022 Artbourne Wellesley College
2022 Echo The Miracle Room
2021 Winner – Masters Open Ceramics Award Quarry Arts Centre
2021 Conforming to confined spaces Studio one Toi tu
2020 Uku Clay Awards Hastings Community Arts Centre
2019 Pest Control Tree Gallery
2018 Mama Mother Queen Thistle Hall,
2018 Mama Mother Queen Expressions Whirinaki
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Community Points
