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View Image Gallery Kate Hopkins-Searle(Full member)

Tel: +44 (0)1608 642774   Email:  

Current Work

It is difficult to explain my attraction to shoes other than it seems to be something shared with many women and is a theme I have been drawn to since making paper shoes as a child and one I returned to for part of my degree show. Later, while working as a secondary school art teacher I was responsible for the design and creation of costumes for theatrical productions and I use historical costume as part of my inspiration. I am fascinated by the details of embroidery and beadwork and the drape and flow of fabrics and recreating the effect of these in clay. While working for Sydney Opera I took classes in ‘real’ shoe making but now find I am more interested in shoes as ornament than as functional items. I alter the ratios of parts of the shoe to suit my aesthetic ideals. The insteps are highly arched and the toes elongated to provide greater area for decoration.

The shoes are hand-built with thinly rolled slabs of white earthenware clay. Decoration is applied while the clay is soft in the form of impressed patterns. Further decoration such as sprigged mouldings and hand rolled clay beads are applied to the shoes. Very thin sheets of clay are manipulated to drape like fabric in the form of frills, bows and rosettes. The shoes are fired multiple times at different temperatures for clay, glazes and lustres. Each pair is a one-off design that takes approximately 20 hours of hands-on work to create.

Work generally available from:
www.minigallery.co.uk
www.kate-hopkins-searle.com

Technical Information

Pieces are fired in an electric kiln. 1150°C for bisque followed by a range of temperatures from 1000-1060°C for different earthenware glazes. Lustres are applied and fired to 720°C

History

Education
1987-88 – Cardiff Institute of Higher Education
1981-84 – Loughborough College of Art& Design
1980-81 – Great Yarmouth College of Art & Design

Qualifications
1988 Post Graduate Certificate of Education
1984 BA Hons Three-Dimensional Design (Ceramics)

Profile Image

Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Home

View Image Gallery Selected Images

Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Dark green shoes with mother of pearl bows and gold beads. Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Matt pink shoes with blue flowers and blue bows.
Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Shoes with pink flowers, high tongue and blue bows. Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Shoes with pink roses, green bows & high thin tongue.
Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Green shoes with gold rosettes pair. Ceramics by Kate Hopkins-Searle at Studiopottery.co.uk - Starfish shoes.

Contact Details

Studio Address: Chipping Norton, UK, .

Telephone: +44 (0)1608 642774
Mobile: 07828 011 802
Email:


Joined on: 2007-06-21
Last Updated: 2011-06-27

Work styles:

Trompe l'oeil
Sculptural
Handbuilt
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