Articles
KARIN PEARSE - CONTEMPORARY STONEWARE.
The unmade track to Karins studio took me to a part of the forest I had never seen before - so far from the familiar tarmac roads I thought I might never find my way out again.
My suburban car bumped and crashed through the potholes, until I came to a clearing - I was captivated, in the same way Karin would have been the first time she stumbled upon what would eventually become her home and work place.
Many of us are so used to living at close quarters - but in this part of the forest it is like being somewhere else. She greeted me at the gate, a cat cradled in her arms.
Karin moved from her native Germany at the end of the 70’s, living and working in London with her English husband. ‘Life was so different for me then; My husband was a Textile Agent, we traveled the world selling our designs it was great fun but very hard work.'
After her first child was born, Karin reduced her workload, wishing to spend more time with her son Francis. The start of her career as a potter soon followed when she enrolled on an adult education course. ‘I thought it would be easy, they had a creche which attracted me, but of course whenever my son needed his nappy changed I was called in - usually with clay up to my elbows. So I did less practical work than I would have liked’.
During the early 80’s Karin moved to the New Forest with her husband who unfortunately died soon after, leaving her with two young children. ‘I had to do something to put food on the table, I would travel to London each day trying to keep my late husbands business going, then racing home to be with my children before bedtime, it was a time I would rather forget.'
Karin wanted desperately to devote more time to her pottery. ‘It all started with a Friday class; I just decided not to go to London on Fridays, instead I started my own class. Almost immediately I had a waiting list for those wanting to enrol - it really felt the right thing to do - the right way to go. In the beginning I would make things, and give them to friends and family. It was a useful time - it gave me a lot of feedback, and allowed me time to play and experiment.'
Very soon Karins work was being accepted in London, she also gained commissions from around Europe and America, where she finds a constant market for her stoneware.
I realised our conversation had fallen quiet for a moment. I was sitting in front of Karins huge arched studio window. The rain trickled down the glass and the ponies were backed under the wiry trees for protection. The view somehow became part of her work space unleashing a power I found all encompassing and I am certain evokes much of the inspiration that drives her.
I had first seen Karins work on display in London, and more recently at the Hampshire Contemporary Artist Gallery in Lymington. She told me, ‘My idea behind the dinner service came about because I was bored in my own kitchen using the same things all the time. It’s very expensive having a number of dinner settings, so I've produced a range that you can ‘mix and match’, change the ambience, the whole look of the table just by using different pieces from the collection’.
Karins idea was to use a constant - a base plate to which you add her hand made leaf plates, her fish or more recent chicken designs. Part of her own brief was to ensure her work could be accepted into everyone’s home whether modern or an older style, traditionally furnished or sparcely minimalistic - and it works beautifully too.
Karins work has a classical handmade quality that carries the warm energy of this artist - each piece harmonising with the next. Karin can be contacted at her studio on (01590) 683690.