Lucinda Lovesey
Potter

Tell me a little about yourself and your art?

I am a retired NHS therapist who worked in Mental Health for 25 years. Before this I did a degree in 3-Dimensional Design specialising in Ceramics and I would have loved to have continued with it but realised that I would not get enough money to raise a family and pay bills. That's when I trained to be an Occupational Therapist and put my artist potter self on the shelf. Occasionally I would bring it down and do a painting or a craft activity to keep me going. About three years after I left the NHS I began to increase the size of my pottery space and experimented to try and recall the processes I had used 30 years before. The initial work was sculptural using coiling and hand-building techniques to make vessels of varying shapes. I bought a second hand kiln and inherited loads of doll moulds with it. I wanted to play with them, but not make dolls. I liked the hands and feet and faces and wondered if I could use them in a decorative way on my pots. And so began a new journey. Then something else happened. I applied for the Great Pottery Throw Down and needed to up my game in throwing if I stood any chance of 1. Getting on the programme and 2. Staying on the programme! I ended up with lots and lots of bowls to decorate and slab built boxes and containers all of which I decorated with colour and pattern that was influenced by primitive art, and I got better a throwing. Good enough to eventually get on the programme and stay on to the semi-finals. It did mean that my own work got put on one side but I gained from the experience in many other ways.

 

How did you first get into your chosen art?

I was useless at school. All I could really do was Art and Ballet as I was not a natural academic. I went to an art college in Bournville, Birmingham and did a two year foundation course in general art and design. Enjoying this so much I went on to do the 3-D Degree in Manchester and that lit a flame in me that has not gone out.

 

Where do you feel the inspiration to create your art comes from?

The inspiration to create comes form deep within me. It's like an itch that has to be scratched and this urge to create feels very human to me. It's a way to communicate even when there is no clear message. I don't feel complete or totally happy if I'm not creating something. I have two different styles of work which I think probably show two different sides of my personality. One style is all about colour and fun, pattern and quirkiness, the other side is more thoughtful, spiritual and intrigued by human nature.

 

The last couple of years have been especially challenging for so many of us. How have you managed, both personally and creatively?

For me it was an opportunity to allow myself to be creative without the feelings of guilt. I know I shouldn't feel guilty but it feels so self-indulgent after spending all my adult life focussing on helping others. It just didn't feel right at first but the pandemic lockdown helped me mentally adjust from being a therapist to being an artist potter. I now know I can still make people happy through what I do and by sharing my studio space occasionally.

 

Has the pandemic or lockdown had any influence on your work, either positively or negatively?

I have not used the pandemic in my work and, if anything, my work has become brighter and more joyful, perhaps as a kick back against the darkness. I don't feel too drawn to darker subjects and can get a bit depressed so I do try to look at the positives in life.

 

What plans do you have for your art going forward?

I plan to hover between the fun, bright pieces that have bugs, fishes, bees, patterns and colour and are probably more commercial; and the more serious hand-built sculptural forms which might be more suitable for galleries. I have many ideas at the moment and never enough time to produce them all. This next year I will be making a piece for Shrewsbury Museum and many pieces for some ceramic festivals in the summer and Church Stretton Arts Festival.

 

What practical advice would you give someone wanting to to take up your form of art professionally?

Know who you are and what makes you tick in your work as you will spend many hours on your own producing things that you need to feel fairly content with. You don't want to resent stuff because it will show in your work. You need to be disciplined with your time and get a good balance of work and play and exercise. It's easy to forget to go out when you get really involved in your work.

 

Where can people see your art?

My ceramic work can be seen mostly on Instagram under my name LucindaLovesey and I have an Etsy shop called CeramiMumbo. I was in Series 5 of the Great Pottery Throw Down which can be seen on catch up for Channel 4 where 9 weeks of challenges can be seen.