Barry Stedman

Barry Stedman (b.1965, Watford) is a ceramic artist whose colourful, dynamic forms come out of a deep connection to the landscape. All the work, developed in series, is rooted in the directness and urgency of drawing outside; responding to the weather, drama and life which surrounds his garden studio by the river Flit in Bedford. Starting on the wheel or constructed in slabs, the earthenware vessels are cut open and altered, scored and handled, before being glazed with layers of oxide, slip and washes of vivid colour. The vessels are then offered to the kiln, sometimes in multiple firings, in an open dialogue of transformation; infused with the marks, rhythm and energy of their making.

Stedman came to ceramics after a career in retail when he was seduced by the possibilities of clay to express abstract ideas of colour and form. He completed a Ceramics degree at the University of Westminster in 2009 where he received the Caparo Award, joining Edmund de Waal’s studio that same year. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and galleries across the UK and internationally.