Gerry Unsworth’s lustred and smoked earthenware is produced by a long series of firings. The lustre, which contains precious metals, is applied after the second, or glost firing, in a medium of oil of lavender. The lustre gives a refractive surface which glows with rainbow colours in the sunlight.
The smoking process involves each pot being placed in an individual chamber with woodshavings and fired to allow the smouldering shavings to impart delicate blooms of “smoke” to the unglazed areas of the pot. Exotic and unusual woods are used to obtain singular effects. The smoking process is repeated until the desired effect is obtained.
Born in London, Gerry Unsworth studied in Leicester where she taught, before setting up a pottery in 1975 making mostly high fired table ware. Since 1985, the success of the lustre ware and of sculptural pieces has allowed her to concentrate on these areas. In 1988 she was awarded financial assistance by East Midlands Arts.
COLLECTIONS
Derbyshire Museums
Leicestershire Museums
