Un-commissioned |
ProfessionalWhy did you make this work:
As a personal project, I have been researching folk tales including the legend of Black Shuck, the Devil Dog of East Anglia. I wanted to examine how my illustrations of the legend could be presented in a 3D format, and whether an illustrated ceramic form could give further ‘presence’ to the illustrations and enhance the mischief in the tale, like a story within a story.
What materials and techniques did you use?:
I hand-built the sculpture with clay, then painted with underglaze at the bisque stage of the ceramics process. It was difficult translating 2D imagery to a 3D surface whilst ensuring that the illustration still read correctly. Painting layers of underglaze lines whilst holding the sculpture and trying not to smudge what I’d already painted was tricky! A transparent glaze seals the illustration.
How were your illustrations used: I took inspiration from the Staffordshire Potteries antique mantlepiece dogs / Wally Dogs. Using traditional clay hand-building techniques, I made my own ‘Shucky Dogs’. Like folk tales, ceramic Staffordshire Dogs are part of British cultural history, so a ceramic ‘Shucky Dog’ seemed the perfect format to present my illustrated tale of the legendary Black Shuck.
Social Media:instagram.com/sandyhorsleyPersonal Website:
sandyhorsley.com
Currently Based:
United Kingdom (UK)
Biography:
Sandy Horsley graduated with an illustration BA from Norwich University of the Arts and an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art.
Drawing, printmaking, illustration, picture books, ceramics and artist’s books all feature in her practice, as a way to tell stories.
Based in Suffolk, UK, she is inspired by folk tales, interesting characters and nature.