Ali Tomlin

Ali came to ceramics after twenty years as partner of a creative design consultancy in London. As an antidote to computers and managing a company she tried ceramics and found it completely absorbed her.

She soon found that porcelain was her material, because of the smooth surface it has for her marks to sit on and because of the quality of the material itself; the fluidity when wet and the fragile appearance, but surprising strength, when finished.

Her work is in porcelain with most surfaces unglazed and sanded to a smooth finish. The pieces are very tactile, encouraging you to follow the lines and shapes around the forms and feel the indentations made by the markings. Some are glazed inside, like a shell that is hard and glossy inside but sanded to a smooth finish by the sea on the outside.