Chinese Red Birch Tree Trunk Vessel (with peeling bark effect)
Short H27.5xØ7xW7
Inspired by a Chinese red birch tree at RHS Rosemoor, Devon, UK
Wheel thrown, then reformed, using terracotta sanded clay, decorated with wild clay slips, underglaze & glaze, fired to stoneware, water tight for functional use
Sonya Wilkins Red Birch Short
Sonya Wilkins studied gained a BA (Hons) Ceramics in 1995, but it was her return to study - completing an MFA in Ceramics in 2023, that marked a transformative turning point in Sonyas artistic career. Since then, her two year post graduate residency at ‘Emerge’, Bath Spa University, has continued to expand her practice in dialogue with contemporary craft and material research. Funding supports her ongoing experimentation into organic colourants and glaze development and she is now a creative mentor for the postgraduate residency.
Sonya sells her work through national ceramic shows, select galleries across the UK and she is a member of the craft potters association and west country potters association.
Artist Statement
My ceramic practice is rooted in deep connection to land, process, and the alchemical transformations that occur through fire, time, and touch. I work primarily with wild foraged clays from diverse landscapes across the UK, allowing the unique material qualities of each site to shape and inform the resulting vessels. These vessels can be used functionally and ornamentally as a remembering of our innate connection to nature.