Steve Kirkham
Ceramic Artist
A long time ago I started a Foundation course in Art & Design at Newcastle College (Staffordshire, England), intending to follow a University degree.
The course focused on two and three-dimensional art. The objective was to find each student's strengths in various disciplines.
With a keen interest in drawing and graphic design, I thought my path was clear, but working with clay seemed to come naturally to me, and unexpectedly, I was urged by the tutors to follow the ceramic road.
I continued my studies in ceramics (a Bachelor of Arts) with the North East Wales Institute – Wrexham Glyndŵr University.
'Forged' from 'The Potteries'
Born in 'the potteries', it seems that clay is in my D.N.A.
I discovered that older generations of my family worked in the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent.
My great, great grandfather, Thomas Henry Kidd, and his children, all worked in various positions in the industry; he's pictured below with my grandmother Gladys, who I remember working past retirement age, for one of the last remaining factories in Stoke.
Initially, I focused on figurative sculpture; that's me below, with two 'Idols' from an ongoing collection called 'Beyond The Lens'. Recently, I became interested in 'throwing' pots, and as a result feel a much closer connection to my family, and to ceramics.
I've been busy with ceramics for over 25 years. Ceramic and Steel is the name of my small studio in Buggenhout, Belgium. I make figurative and architectural sculpture and use a variety of methods to make pottery. Most of my ideas are developed through sketches, and developed further in the making process.
Ceramics
Inspiration
Ideas and their development come from many sources – the aesthetics of ancient civilizations – their art and architecture – their belief systems.
I'm also inspired by fiction and science-fiction, especially the works of science-fiction/horror writer H.P. Lovecraft; I have a certain affinity with the 1930's.
Steel
During my foundation course, I was inspired by Dali's 'The Temptation of St. Anthony' – the painting depicts a fantastical caravan of giant elephants with elongated legs. I used long steel nails to give a 'Carnival Float' sculpture extra height. Since then, I have often used steel in my work, firing it together with the clay; there are some challenges combining the two materials, but the results can be interesting.
