Matthew Chambers

All sculptures and vessels are made using separate thrown sections and then constructed together to form one piece. I don’t do any drawings or designs and all the experimentation with different forms is done during the making process. I enjoy seeing how one form leads to another and how the different forms fit together.

I use mainly earthy colours in my pieces. It gives them a feel similar to stone and I think this helps to give them a more sculptural quality. Although geometric, they are also quite organic in their form and I don’t think synthetic colours would suit – natural colours look much better. I have tried using bright blues and yellows before but it didn’t work as well. The pieces are not often glazed and I mix my colours into the clay body before I start working it.

All the pieces are highly finished – I sand them at different stages of the process and polish them with diamond pads after firing. I like the fact that they don’t look as smooth as they actually are – people expect them to feel rough because of the speckled surface effect and are surprised when they find that they’re smooth to the touch.