MANDY PARSLOW
CERAMIST
Since 1999 Mandy Parslow has worked from her rural studio in Co. Tipperary where she makes salt-glazed stoneware, specialising in wood-fired ceramics.
Her pieces are initially wheel-thrown and then altered while the clay is still soft, retaining the energy and tension present in freshly thrown clay. The warm and considered surfaces pay homage to her surrounding landscape with its shifting light and tones and the varying colours of her immediate environment.
The forms themselves have evolved from an investigation of museum objects. The interplay and changed status of items that were once functional but are now preserved under glass, continues to fascinate her. Her most recent work is a direct response to this interest. The strong shapes of functional tools from the prehistoric age inspire many of her current pieces. Axe heads in particular hold a deep fascination for her and their influence is evident in her work. The wood-salt firing process that she continues to progress enhances these forms significantly and delivers a real depth of colour and texture that is constantly evolving from one firing to the next. The authenticity of the marks left by the flame as it travelled across the pot in the heat of the kiln is prized and adds a special presence to the body of work being produced.
Parslow’s award winning work is represented in public and private collections in Ireland, the UK and Europe including the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin, Ireland and the Consulate General of Ireland, Shanghai, China. She exhibits on a regular basis both in Ireland and abroad. Recent exhibitions include Collect 2010, Saatchi Galleries, London and the Irish Pavilion, World Expo, Shanghai.
Clonbeg Lodge
Glen of Aherlow
Co. Tipperary
+353 (0) 62 56011
mandy@parslowpottery.com
www.parslowpottery.com
Sliding Rock Contemporary Ceramics,
Galway, Ireland; Gourmet Pots, Cork,
Ireland.
Work available from the studio
and through exhibitions nationally
and internationally.
Image 2:Elongated Vessel. Wood fired salt glazed stoneware. 20cm x 50cm x 17cm (H x W x D).