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Retail for Cultural Venues: Jillian Riley

The seventh maker in our series on work that will appeal to cultural destinations is ceramicist Jillian Riley. Her darkly themed and curious vessels are perfect for the organisations supported by our partner the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

Jillian explores the idea of dark and light in different forms, not only in the physical sense but also in the subject matter. This has lead to a collection of vessels with a twist. Her love of corvidae and entomology provide a perfect subject matter, alongside the folklore and mythology of favourite places she has travelled to, including the outer reaches of Scotland,  Iceland and New Zealand.

Jillian takes old found poison, scientific and apothecary bottles, and re-casts them in black and white, using parian or porcelain clay. Some are decorated with oxides, lustres and her own illustrations and texts, and some vessels become more sculptural with cascades of porcelain flowers, plants, and creatures. Jillian says, “I delight in using pen & ink illustrations, simple glazing and hand sculpted elements to bring my collections to life. My making process means each piece is unique. I would love to work with museums and tailor my work to their own collections and programmes of events, taking inspirations from both heritage vessels, and illustrations.” Her unique pieces always work well together and  their fascinating details will in turn ensure they become  future collectables.

Contact details for Jillian are here. Click here for no 8 in the series: potter and sculptor Sarah Villeneau.

 

 

Posted on

28.03.2020

Posted by

Liz Cooper

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