Not only is her dog company in her studio, but dog-walks provide Bronwen Coussens with the ideal excuse to ramble through the local countryside collecting grasses, seeds and wild flowers to inspire her beautiful ceramic vessels. Bronwen is originally from South Africa but currently lives in the picturesque riverside town of Henley-on-Thames. Preferring to hand-build her work rather than throw it on a wheel, Bronwen creates pots for their aesthetic beauty rather than their functional use. Her hallmark decoration is delicate and comes from the constant doodling which she has done since she was a child. She applies it as sgraffito on her work; carefully scratching through the top layer to reveal the clay beneath. Colour is also important to Bronwen and she uses soft tones of coloured slip clay to reflect the form and scale of a piece, resulting in an array of pastel hues. “Although it is 30 years since I left South Africa, I am still never far from my roots, which emerge in my work in both form and decoration.” A collection of original work by Bronwen will be on display at Fillingdon Fine Art this autumn and visual images of the pieces available for sale can be viewed on the website www.fillingdon.com/artists/ceramicists
