Chris Turrell-Watts is our ‘In the Window’ maker for September, he is a local ceramicist and has been working in clay for over 25 years, making work for sale, exhibition and retail. He has taught in a variety of institutions including Central St Martins and University of Brighton as well as commissions from the Liverpool Biennial and consultant to Turner Prize winners, Assemble.
In the last few years he has set up and run an open access ceramics studio called Baltic Clay which is situated in Liverpool. This studio provides access to space and equipment for ceramic artists and classes for beginners.
His work explores the darkly playful side of childhood toys influenced by medieval illustrations, Japanese anime and ritual costume.
Wonderbeasts are a series of ceramic pieces that are drawn from medieval illustration, folklore and Outsider art. I’m interested in the space between fact and legend, exploring notions of the wild magic of nature and our own world of order and familiarity. Storytelling is a key theme to these pieces, suggesting distinctive characters and individual narratives. Created from a mix of hand building and press moulding and using layers of coloured slips and oxides, these objects feel alive and purposeful.