KIM PARKER CERAMICS
Producer of original hand-thrown, hand-built, hand-painted sculptural and functional Ceramics and bespoke objects and sets of work, made to commission for commemorative, special occasions and people.
ABOUT:
Kim studied at Middlesex University, graduating in 3-Dimensional Design. She produces hand thrown, hand built, hand painted sculptural and functional pieces based on naturalpatterns and experiential understanding of archetypes and forms.
She has a diverse catalogue of Ceramics and photographs of her original pieces from which clients can select features to generate ideas for bespoke objects and sets of work, made to commission for commemorative, special occasions and people.
She is also a qualified Teacher in the Lifelong Learning Sector, running Ceramic workshops in the community and for groups. She also works as an Artist in Residence in schools and has a long history and portfolio of previous work, both independent and in collaboration with other Artists and Scientists on theme and curriculum based projects. Many of these have culminated in composite bas reliefs and Site Specific Sculptures.
UPCOMING EXHIBITS
Presenting: Bell House Sculpture Park as part of Dulwich Festival’s Artist Open House
Bell House, a charity for wider learning, is taking part in Dulwich Festival this May with a Sculpture Park in the gardens with 11 artists and 3 dancers exhibiting. Each sculpture will find a fresh context in the Bell House garden, chiming or contrasting with the environment to create new atmospheres and unfolding narratives.
Some of the artist’s have made new works in response to the architecture and history of the house. The Collectors, a trio interested in archives and collating resources from unique spaces, are working on a piece titled “34 Pictures”. The pictures have been collected from the Bell House archives to grow a meandering durational dance performance. The group explain how they use dance to ‘create moving sculptures, dynamic pathways and at times bizarreness across the landscape of the Bell House grounds’. Likewise Isobel Finlay, a Camberwell graduate interested in traditional processes and hand-craft, is working on a piece inspired by the hexagonal Georgian windows at the front of the house.
Other exhibiting artists include sculpting duo Dominic McHenry and Jim Shepherd, or BASK, who work with geometric carved wood encased in forged metal; Augustus Stickland, trained carpenter and another Camberwell graduate, presents notched and pared monoliths; Ikra Arshad experiments with playful perspex shapes to create ‘joyous spaces amongst nature and around public places’; Rye Poets & composer David Clark Allen have developed a sound piece where a poem written by Rye Poets is woven into a bee-buzzing soundscape; Jack Fawdry Tatham is working alongside Kennington apiary and social enterprise, Bee Urban, to build innovative solitary bee habitats; Annie Antoine and Kim Parker work with clay. Annie coils, pinches and carves. Kim throws and sculpts. Both take inspiration from natural forms such as poppy heads and the human body to create intimate and powerful ceramic pieces. Bell House has planning permission to build a pottery and so this celebration of ceramics signifies the start of a new path for the charity.
We also have some special works on loan by Ron Hitchins, a Chinese-Lithuanian artist-cum-flamenco dancer, born in 1926 in Hackney. Hitchen’s made fibreglass abstract sculptures inspired by the likes of Barbara Hepworth and Max Ernst. He is little known but his works, alongside his unusual house and furniture which is decoratively clad in his fibreglass tiles, are growing in notoriety.
We look forward to welcoming the public to the on site Bell House Sculpture Park! Ikra Arshad sums up our aim for this show beautifully when she shared the following piece of writing with us-
‘Parks & outdoor spaces have been our saviour this past year… I was excited to be asked to take part in this show, mainly because right now, we need things that enhance our feelings of hope and joy more than ever.’
Event information
Opening/Performance Times:
Friday 7th: 11:30-7pm (The Collectors durational dance performances during the 14:30 - 15:30 and 17:30- 18:30 time slots)
Saturday 8th: 11:30-6pm
Sunday 9th- 11:30-6pm
Thursday 13th: 11:30-6pm
Friday 14th- 11:30-7pm (The Collectors durational dance performances during the 14:30 - 15:30 and 17:30- 18:30 time slots)
Saturday 15th- 11:30-6pm
Sunday 16th- 11:30-6pm
We will be operating in line with the latest government guidelines. The rule of 6 will apply. Pre-booking is advised and can be done through our website-
https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2021/5/7/bell-house-sculpture-park
Walk-ups will be accommodated but the public may have to wait if we are busy! Track & Trace will be in operation.
List of exhibiting artists:
Annie Antoine, BASK (Dominic McHenry and Jim Shepherd), Ikra Arshad, Isobel Finlay, Augustus Stickland, Kim Parker, Jack Fawdry-Tatham & Pip Rice. Sound-piece collaboration between Rye Poets & composer David Clark Allen. Durational dance performances by The Collectors (Orley Quick, Cornelis Joubert & Beatrice Ghezzi). With special works on loan by abstract ‘60s sculptor Ron Hitchins.
For more information contact Emily on:
Email: emily@bellhouse.co.uk
Phone: 07561213811
Socials
Instagram: @BellHouseDulwich
Twitter: @BellHouseNews
Facebook: @BellHouseDulwich
#VirtualDulwichFestival (note: The Sculpture Park is on site but this is the hashtag the festival are using this year)
@ArtistsOpenHse
@Dulwichfestival
Thank you!
To make an appointment to let me know when you are coming please email: kim@kimparkerceramics.co.uk
or phone:07931 448840
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KIM PARKER: Specialist in original Ceramic Sculptures and functional Ceramics ARTIST STATEMENT:
SCULPTURES:
My Sculptures usually begin their life with a design for which the components
are thrown on the potter’s wheel and combined with clay in both soft and
leather hard states. Each piece is developed over a long period, modelling the
clay in the optimum state for the process involved. They are then individually
hand painted with slips and glazes- all are therefore unique!
FUNCTIONAL:
I also like to make functional ware to be used and enjoyed daily. This presents
different challenges in marrying the decoration with thrown forms.
I use a variety of techniques for the surfaces including: slip and glaze painting,
layering with resists and sgraffito.
BESPOKE COMMISIONS FOR CELEBRATION:
I design and make commissions for commemorative, special occasions and
people. I have a diverse catalogue of Ceramics and photographs of my original
pieces. Using the patterns, forms and colours as a reference point, I enjoy
collaborating with clients to select features and generate ideas to create totally
personal bespoke objects and sets of work which truly reflect the individual and
the occasion. None of my work is mass produced or copied from others’ work.
INFLUENCES:
I am greatly influenced by patterns in Nature, which follow archetypal forms.
Patterns exist on every scale and level. The viewpoint may be distant, such as
the ‘Landscape Plates’ and ‘Seaside Jugs’ or ‘Galaxy Bowls’; or close up, as in the
‘Crab Flask’ and ‘Poppy Heads’. Macro or microcosm, whether the focus is on
thought, the patterns we create in the journey of our lives individually and
collectively or consist of sound and music, water or light; they are the outward
manifestations of the vibrations which generate life, to which everything
belongs. Focusing on these things is a constant source of excitement and I have
a continuing need to experiment with materials and ideas to expand my
knowledge and fluency of expression.
I consider versatility to be a positive quality and I convey diverse interests
through my work, a dynamic response to all that is fascinating about life. The
many different forms and patterns I make are threads which I pick up and
progress at intervals. The work on one type of piece will then naturally inform
all subsequent work. I find also by moving away from one area for a time and
then returning, that I have not only increased in technical experience, but often
come at the same subject from a fresh viewpoint.
In its fired condition clay is one of the most stable materials: architecturally
strong. Yet in its plastic state is so sensitive it will pick up a finger print, and
respond to the maker’s desires by bending into a plethora of shapes and forms.
In its leather hard state one can carve into it, write or draw. The fusion of the
elements of earth, water and fire is a form of alchemy, fluid and dynamic, this
truly magical material is never completely predictable.
I often wonder why after spending hours carefully making and painting a form if
it isn’t perverse to then subject it to a temperature of 1280 C… Then there is the
excitement of opening the kiln door, which never fades; like the joy when the
seeds one has planted begin to sprout!
BACKGROUND:
My early life was quite nomadic and fascinatingly broad in experiences.
My love of Ceramics grew when I studied for ‘A’ Levels at Oxford College of
Further Education and was privileged to be taught the Theory of Ceramics by a
Geologist who conveyed both the excitement and practical application of
natural materials in the ceramic process. Following on from a Foundation
Course in Art at Sir John Cass School of Art, I studied Three Dimensional Design
at Middlesex University graduating with B.A. Honours. I am also a qualified
Teacher in the Lifelong Learning Sector, (QTLLS Canterbury University).
I have worked for many years as an Artist in Residence in schools and the
community passing on skills through bespoke theme or curriculum based briefs,
creating composite site specific Sculptures and Low Reliefs. I am experienced in
researching, developing and delivering Programmes of Study, integrating
creative input with the management of all aspects of projects from conception
to completion, accommodating all criteria and constraints. It is a valuable gift to
enable others to join in this long tradition of working with clay and empower
them to create things which are truly personal, through which they can express
their feelings and ideas.
Many project briefs were designed for vulnerable people, linking emotional and
practical issues and social wellbeing while generating original work to engender
self-esteem and create strong group support. This includes working with other
Artists and Scientists. There are so many exciting possibilities to braid the arts to
create new ways of expression, which reflect our lives now, resonate with the
past, and positively influence the future.
I have been commissioned to produce work from diverse starting points, such
as the historical plaques made for the Ramsden Regeneration. The research
involved the sourcing and study of archives in addition to meeting and
reminiscing with some very old people, uncovering, interpreting and
transposing fascinating material into images on tiles. I was personally enriched
by this, but more importantly able to give back to the local community a
celebration of their own heritage.
More information and photographs are available on
application.
Kim Parker B.A. (Hons) Three Dimensional Design. Middlesex University.
Qualified Teacher in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Canterbury University
Exhibited at: Seven Dials Gallery, Covent Garden
Blackheath Halls Bromley: Central Library The Studio, Warlingham, Jeannie Avent Gallery, East Dulwich.
Many Bromley Schools. Currently making a Mural with all the children of Poverest School.
OPENING HOURS
- Mon - Fri
- -
- Sat - Sun
- Closed
CONTACT
