Patricia Millar Ceramics
Ceramics
Making ceramics that capture the geological and anthropological traces with site-specific clays, materials and ancient firings.
Patricia Millar was born in Belfast and studied Art and Education at Stranmillis College Belfast, graduating in 1988. A former teacher in Nepal and Northern Ireland, she set up her pottery studio in 2015.
Patricia references domestic forms found within the Neolithic and Bronze Age landscape. The potency of ancient vessels preserved in the encroaching landscape inspires not only the form but the methods in which she makes. Local clay and sustainable fuels are gathered from meaningful sites. And using the ancient techniques of pit firing and wood firing, her work is marked with the landscape’s unique colour signature. Her vessels celebrate form, colour and texture of their geological and anthropological origins.
A recipient of funding from the Arts Council NI and Ards and North Down Borough Council, her work has been commissioned by Seamus Heaney’s HomePlace , Bellaghy, The Portico, Portaferry and Signal Business Centre, Bangor. She represented NI in Sweden through the Creative Momentum and won the Margaret Creevy Prize for best in show, SERC.
Exhibitions include the prestigious Collect Open, RUA, Ceramics Ireland Select members’ exhibition, Craftworks for London Design Week, Thrown Contemporary, London.
Patricia’s work is selected for craft fairs including Potfest, Celebrating Ceramics, Art in Clay, Belfast Potter’s Market and Ceramics Wales.
Patricia is an invited member of Homo Faber, Michelangelo Foundation.
From her studio near the Giant’s Causeway, she teaches alternative firing courses including Pit Firing, Barrel Firing, Smoke and Obvara firings. Available for presentations and demonstrations. Featured on BBC’s Countryfile, presenter for Radio 4 GQT and nominated by CraftNI as “one to watch” on BBC NI The Arts Show.
Continuing to incorporating local materials into her wheel thrown and hand- built forms, her process has developed to include wood firing. Patricia was awarded an Arts Council NI grant to build a wood fired kiln and a grant from The Craft Potters’ Association Charitable Trust to attend a kiln building course at Oxford University.
Address
20 Isle Road
Lisnagunogue
Co. Antrim
Opening Hours
By appointment
For updates on events and workshops please visit website.