Claire Prenton's Ornamental Clay Creations Balance Form and Function

Claire Prenton’s ornamental clay creations are highly embellished works that balance the line between form and function. She hand-builds each item before placing, stamping, and slip-trailing shells, pearls, coral, tentacles, leaves and twigs into the surface of her work. Prenton often draws imagery from her time spent mud larking alongside the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio, coming across shards of vintage pottery and tiny fossilized shells & bones. There is a balance in her work between the realistic branches, flowers, and shells and the lacy, delicate fabric inspired surfaces. This is a balance between nature and the handmade.

Prenton describes her work as having “…a vintage quality and is about reflection, memories and looking to the past.”

Prenton attended the Cumbria College of Art and Design where she concentrated in textile design and embroidery. After becoming a work-study student at Kirkland Arts Center in Seattle, she discovered her love for pottery. Prenton lives and works in Cincinnati, Ohio where a rich pottery history exists and helps to inform her work.

What vintage imagery do you connect with in Prenton’s ornamental clay creations? Tell us in the comments!