Hannah Thomson

Blue Route

Originally from Kirkmichael in South Ayrshire and having lived in a number of places in the UK as a prop maker for film and television, I came to Dumfries and Galloway as a teacher of art and design in 2021, teaching for 3 full years at Stranraer Academy. Having a strong love of the West Coast and of living by the sea, I have settled in Portpatrick and begun my own creative practice journey, focussing on hand built ceramics.

About My Practice

Although I have worked with a wide range of materials in my professional life, I have long wished for the time and facilities of my own to immerse myself in working with clay. I hand build and carve, often turning and refining the surfaces of pieces on the wheel. I find the hand carving process meditative and I also enjoy the fragile quality that can be achieved by slip casting. I find a combination of these techniques help to reflect the rough and smooth forms, objects and textures of the coastal landscape.

Tools & Materials

I use a variety of hand tools which will be available to look at in my studio, in addition to a number of clay bodies, undeglazes, glazes and slips. I often use plaster moulds for the slip casting process, and I have a small wheel for turning, throwing, and for applying glazes and underglazes to my round pieces. I have a record player in my studio and am rarely without the company of music or my trusty radio. I also regularly work with paint and canvas inspiration and development of colour and texture

Examples of work

Click image to enlarge

Spring Fling Activity

Visitors can have a go at carving texture into a small piece, or creating a unique surface design on an tile which can added to the visitors collaborative tiles installation!