Daphne Carnegy
An apprenticeship in France and several visits to Italy introduced me to the delights of earthenware and in particular tin-glazed ware, often referred to as ‘maiolica’. Additional training at Harrow School of Art refined and developed my skills and confirmed my commitment to low-fired pottery. The attraction of maiolica for me lies in its unique qualities - a softness, depth and luminosity of glaze and colour not to be found in other ceramic techniques, the transformation of the pigments in the firing, and the variations of intensity and texture of the pigments as they fuse and shift with the glaze. The many variable elements – body, glaze and pigment thickness, firing temperature – all conspire to create continual surprises on opening the kiln.
I make a range of thrown, and sometimes hand-built, painted tin-glazed earthenware which combine an awareness of historical precedents with a passion for plants. Other sources of inspiration include textile designs and early Islamic ceramics.
Although I still work with a broad colour palette, I have also discovered the delights of working with a much more limited palette – often just shades of blue or black, relying on tonal values rather than brilliant colours for effect. I also find that, having worked for a while with this more restrained palette, I tend to approach my polychrome work in a more economical and simple way, working with the pigments as I would with watercolours.
Education
2000 City and Guilds Garden Design
1999 RHS General Certificate Horticulture
1980 Higher Diploma Studio Pottery (Harrow)
1976-8 Trained and worked in various pottery workshops in France
1972 Postgraduate Certificate of Education
(Institute of Education)
1969 Nottingham University, BA (Hons) French
Selected Exhibitions
2011 Contemporary Ceramics Gallery
2010 The Octagon, Whichford Pottery
Eton Applied Arts
2009 Kingsgate Workshops Open Studios
2008 Kingsgate Workshops Winter Show
2007 Alpha House Summer Exhibition
2006 Table Manners, Crafts Council, touring
2004 Bettles Gallery, Ringwood (solo)
2002 Aberdeen Art Gallery
1996 Alpha House Gallery, Sherborne (solo)
1994 Form and Function, Contemporary Applied Arts
1993 High Table, MAC and touring
1991 Contemporary Ceramics (solo)
Selected Publications
2011 Maiolica, A & C Black. 2011
1999 Josie Warshaw, The Complete Practical Potter, 1999, Lorenz Books
Matthias Ostermann, The New Maiolica, 1999,
A & C Black
1996 Tony Birks, The Complete Potter’s Companion, 1996, Conran Octopus
1993 Tin-Glazed Earthenware, A & C Black, 1993
1991 ‘Mysteries of Maiolica’, Ceramic Review #129, 1991
1987 John Gibson, Pottery Decoration, 1987, A & C Black
Public Collections
Crafts Council
Saffron Walden Museum
Aberdeen Art Gallery