Michele Bianco

"The starting point for my work is always walking and sketching. I'm inspired by the forms, patterns and textures in the world around me - the mesh of the branches on wintry trees, the geometric patterns in eroded rock faces or the intricate structures of pods, leaves and petals. 

In the studio, I work with tinted stoneware clay. All my pieces are hand built using a range of techniques; pinching, coiling and slab building. The piece is then allowed to dry slowly and during this phase the form is altered by drawing onto the surface and hand carving into the clay. As the piece gradually dries it is refined by degrees.

Once fully dry, the forms are biscuit fired to around 950C before glaze firing to around 1100C. I'm also currently experimenting with pit firing techniques, firing to lower temperatures and using sustainable fuel sources."

After training as an Architect, Michele realised that she was more interested in hands-on making, proceeding to study Fine Art at Leeds College of Art and the University of Northumbria. Michele ran a Gallery and Picture Framers in North Yorkshire for 10 years, before settling as a full-time Artist in 2013. Michele studied for a Diploma in Glass and Ceramics at the National Glass Centre and has since been working from her studio, initially in North Yorkshire and now in the North West Highlands where she has built an off-grid eco-house and studio.