Details

Social Media

My Ceramics

In the studio I like to do	Handbuilding, Sculpting
Clay body	Stoneware, Porcelain
Kiln Type	Electric Kiln, Gas Kiln, Wood Fired Kiln
Kiln Atmosphere	Reduction Atmosphere, Oxidation Atmosphere
Temperature	1280 to 1300 C
You can buy my work from	shirleysheppard.co.uk, contacting me via email only instagram: Shirleysheppard.ceramics My gallery: Blandscliff gallery 9 Blands Cliff Scarborough, YO11 1NR, UK blandscliffgallery.com

About Me

Introduction	Shirley Sheppard was born in Perth Western Australia and now lives and works in the UK as well as Australia. Since completing a Fine Art degree in sculpture and painting at the University of York UK, graduating with first class honours, she is based on the north East coast of England, working mainly in figurative wood fired ceramics. She has done many specialist courses and residencies in the UK, Germany, Hungary, Australia and The USA. Over her professional career Shirley has established a successful gallery, exhibited in over 30 open exhibitions at Public and Private Art galleries and Museums in the UK and Europe as well as in several solo shows and outdoor sculpture exhibitions. Her works are housed in many private collections and in three International Collections of Ceramic Art in the UK, France and Hungary. She has won the Belgian, the Scottish and the Japanese prize twice, awarded by fellow artists, for her competition pieces at several Potfests in the UK.
What I Love about Ceramics	Sculpting in clay is for me the ultimate experience; its additive and subtractive nature allows freedom, but has a mind of its own, which must be reckoned with, controlled and yet let go. Firing in wood fueled kilns, where I am responsible for outcomes results in a unique finish.
How I started with ceramics	Firstly on a Part time basis while working in the south of Germany in a completely different occupation. I eventually quit my job to do a Fine Art Degree, which had both a painting and a ceramics department. My love was sculpture and clay was the medium I was attracted to……getting my hands dirty, the sensuousness and the challenge of doing large scale pieces. How I build them was my own invention of trial and error as the ceramics department was not large and did not cover this sort of work. So necessity was the mother of my invented ways.
What inspires me	Movement or no movement. Dance theater and music. All to do with the human form.
What I'm working on at the moment	I work on many ideas simultaneously. When studying my master said “Shirley do you want to be a Jack of all Trades, or a master”….Jack suits me just fine !
My CV	Projects: 2016 Design of Dandaragan Shire Sculpture trail Western Australia. · 2001– 2016. Set up the blandscliff gallery and studio by converting an old candyfloss shop and store into a gallery to promote and sell the work of local artists. · 2012/13 Lead Artist and designer for large Public Art Project n reflective garden at St James Church Scarborough. · 2002-12 onwards Co-ordinator of, and artist in, the Blands Cliff Mural project: · Stage 1 2002 23 artists painted a wall 108 ft x 10ft · Stage 2 2003 4 artists painted a wall 40 ft x 16 ft · Stage 3 2004 4 artists painted a wall 20 ft x 36 ft · Stage 4 2009+ Ceramic Relief on wall 12 ft X 10 ft · 2005/06 Designer and organizer for Application Public Seating Plaza Barrowcliff, Scarborough. Successful in raising £30,000 funding for the Arts side, failed in raising rest of money for community social services participation. · 2005 Scarborough Wave public Art Project: chosen as Mentee to work with artists. Project cancelled. · 2005 Dinosaur Coast Project – Handmade tiles with after school club for street mural now on Blands Cliff. · 2004 Grant from Yorkshire Arts to study the building of Permanent Fire Sculptures with Danish Artist Nina Hole. · Building of own Permanent Fire Sculpture at the International Ceramics Institute Hungary · Assisting Nina Hole with building large Permanent Fire sculpture in Minneapolis USA. · Project to build one of these at Scarborough hospital was cancelled due to change in the Board of directors. · 2004 Large Outdoor Mural with School Girls Mums Unit in Hull · 2004 Dinosaur Coast Project. – Hunmanby Garden Wall Mosaic phase 1 with after school club and parents. · 2001-2012 Proprietor blandscliff Gallery and Studio Scarborough · 2001 Large walking puppet project for Yorkshire Forward, Renaissance project launch in Scarborough Larger Exhibitions: 2017 Ferens Hull City Art Gallery, Open Exhibition 2015 Sculpture in the Sanctuary, Nottingham (invited) 2013 Sculpture in the Sanctuary, Nottingham (invited) 2012 Delamore Country House Arts, Devon (invited) 2011 Sculpture in the Sanctuary, Nottingham (invited) 2011 Transformations in Clay in the Cathedral, Sheffield 2010 Delamore Country House Arts, Devon (invited) 2009 Ferens Hull City Art Gallery, Open Exhibition 2009 Sculpture in the Sanctuary, Nottingham (invited) 2007 Oxo Tower, London 2007 Delamore Country House Arts, Devon (invited) 2005 Oxo Tower, London 2005 Solo Gallery, Edinburgh 2005 Artspace 2005 Worcester 2004 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital London 2004 Leeds Design Innovation Centre 2003 Open Exhibition Ferens Art Gallery Hull England 2002 Solo Exhibition Unterühldingen Germany 2002 Winter Exhibition Ferens Art Gallery Hull England 2001 Kings Manor York England 2001 University of York Scarborough England 2000 Winter Exhibition Ferens Art Gallery Hull England 1999 Weinachtsaustellungen GZH Friedrichshafen Germany 1996 Sole exhibition Steinplatte bistro Nürnberg Germany 1996 Weinachtsaustellungen GZH Friedrichshafen Germany 1995 Solo exhibition Deltahaus Leinfelden Stuttgart Germany 1994 Solo exhibition Dornier Gmbh Immenstaad Germany 1993 Solo exhibition Dornier Gmbh Immenstaad Germany 1992 Solo exhibition Atelier Auf Dem Land Friedrichs., Germany