Richard Slee (b. Cumbria, UK, 1946) studied at Carlisle College of Art & Design (1964-65) and studies ceramics at the Central School of Art & Design (1965-1970). He graduated with an MA at the Royal College of Art (1988). In 2000 Richard Slee completed a major commission for Sculpture at Goodwood, and in the following year was awarded The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize for his contribution to contemporary ceramics. Slee lives and works in London
Selected group and solo shows include Studio Voltaire (UK), Object Gallery (Australia), Hales Gallery (London), National Museum (Sweden), Victoria & Albert Museum (UK), World Ceramic Centre (Korea) and The West Norway Museum of Decorative Art (Norway). His work was included in the well-received show, Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990 (2011-12), Victoria & Albert (London). Slee's work is represented in numerous collections world-wide, including British Council (UK), Corcoran Museum of Art (New York), Washington Museum of Art and Design (US) and Victoria & Albert Museum (London).
The colour of his work fascinates me. It is really recognisable that his work has well-finished shape, with lush and high-gloss glaze, cutesy characters, and a feeling of innocence, but weirdness. The forms and colours of his work are animated that reminds me Disney, childhood, and candy floss.
I want to create a colourful fantastic landscape for the aquarium. However, I could not decide should I make the landscape realistic or more abstract. And for my recent pieces, there is a similarity between the form and colour we used that I could learn something from his work.
I really like the uneven texture on his work. To take the image above as an example, the texture on the tree gives the work more detail, and allow the glaze to have some changes. And since the texture is under the glaze, so it remain as a whole with the rest of the work.
Compared to his work, my piece was not applied a layer of transparent glaze after painted with underglaze. Partly because I like matt finish. But after firing, the finish of the underglaze looked like it was not fired. Besides, matt surface will be covered by algae easier, which looks horrible on candy floss like colour, than the work with glaze on, but harder to be cleaned. I am planning to use glaze next time.
Further reading: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/03/artist-week-richard-slee
