After being inspired by my grandmother’s collection of Willow Pattern china, I decided to follow the long history of hand-painting porcelain with cobalt blue decoration.Willow Pattern is a Chinese-inspired decoration that became popular on mass-produced tableware in England at the end of the 18th century. Having grown up around my nan’s collection of this china, it felt very nostalgic to me and I wanted to make my own interpretation. I began looking at the Willow Pattern closely, zooming in and distorting details around the borders then projecting them onto my pots in order to paint them.

The beauty of imperfection is explored through applying geometric patterns to deliberately distorted forms, challenging the inherent perfectionist Rhian is at heart. Taking a mathematical approach to applying each design, patterns are either projected onto vessels to accentuate their tactile, dimpled contours or divided up into eighths vertically to highlight their tapering forms.

I aim for form and decoration to work together in harmony, creating a beautiful object to be admired.  I make elegant wheel-thrown vessels with geometric patterns that give this tradition a more contemporary feel. Each piece is intended to be a work of art in its own right – I’m definitely a ‘form over function’ potter!