Andrea Cundell Ceramics
by Angie Boyer
Pebbles nestling in the surface of the clay, bound in place with English twine; imprints of leaves and textures from nature - these are used to create individual pieces which are instantly recognised as the work of Andrea Cundell. Perhaps the most effective 'signature' to her pottery is the handmade ceramic tag which she attaches to each piece.
"It annoys me that there is so much mass produced work being sold. I've seen so much at shows that's imported, being sold as hand made, hand finished, that I decided to really show that my work isn't churned out in Hong Kong. Think about it - jeans, shoes, they all have labels on them, so why not pots, too?" she reasoned. So each handmade ceramic label actually says 'Handmade' on it, to emphasise her point.
"Galleries respond really well to my work, especially this focus on the handmade aspect, and I like to think that I'm producing affordable pieces that are entirely hand made." Andrea studied Ceramics at Medway College of Design in Kent, returning to her home in York afterwards. A self employed potter for 14 years, she has her own workshop in the garden of her home in York, which her father built especially for her in the 1980s.
"After College I asked whether I could work in the garage and my father said 'no' - but better than that, he built me my own place to work," she recalled. Interestingly, the potter's wheel which sits alongside Andrea's workbench and which she still uses, was made by her whilst at College. "I'll switch it on for you," she said, "and see what you think! I made it all, piece by piece, including the hand carved wooden seat. It actually has a washing machine engine in it - listen." She was right, "It sounds like it's on the final rinse and spin!" she laughed.
We talked about how her work has evolved over the years since she returned to York. "I began by selling at craft fairs and was producing quite quaint work, really - mushrooms and so on, very 'full on' and highly decorated." Later her work was influenced by what she found when visiting Turkey, "I was inspired to develop a range of 'broken' pots with marine fish swimming in and out of them," she said. However, Andrea eventually found herself "hankering after the type of things I did at college. I was bored with painting pots and wanted to explore once again the effects of texture, enjoy more freedom in my work."
And so evolved a series of pieces which responded to her desire to move on. "I would roll out the clay and see how it looked, work with it to see what I found. I realised that even the music I listened to at that time influenced my work, sometimes I would find myself in quite a transcendental state! I love basic textures, experimenting with them is simple yet satisfying, a voyage of discovery with my work."
Sometimes these textures in Andrea's pieces are created by using leaves on the clay, producing pots which are her most popular range. "A buyer at the British Craft Trade Fair last year asked what my best seller was - those with the leaf impressions are a constant favourite." On other occasions, Andrea makes her own stamps of biscuited clay to create surface texture and decoration, whilst she is also known for incorporating pebbles into the pots. "I go to the beach at Saltburn to collect these, there are plenty of brown stones for me to choose from there," she explained. Andrea's work is tactile and understandably people like to pick it up, so the texture is an important aspect of their appreciation of it.
Much of it is handbuilt, although some is thrown - on her unique potter's wheel. Some of her more recent work, including the piece which won the Craftsman Award at Potfest in the Pens 2004, has a definite Japanese influence to it. She showed us a Japanese Floating Bowl with a handmade Japanese-style dwelling on a centre pedestal and delicate pillowed feet at the base, finished in the matt black glaze. Andrea's winning piece at Potfest was made using the same techniques as the floating bowl and also bore a celebratory inscription to reflect the theme behind the 2004 competition - 10 years of Potfest and 21 years of Craftsman Magazine. Andrea made the piece especially for the competition, complete with a miniature bottle of champagne which her pot was designed to hold.
Ever keen to experiment and see what clay can produce, Andrea has recently been developing a series of pieces using coloured inlaid roundels of clay, "I call them salami slices!" In fact, this 'salami' is a roll of clay made up from Andrea's spare clay trimmings. "I was given a book for my birthday, 'Ceramic Surfaces', which included a piece on staining clay," she explained. "I tried it, making 'liquorice allsorts'-type whirls and found it worked really well." These whirls are now an integral part of one of her more recent ranges of work.
Andrea doesn't only work as a potter, though, she teaches regularly and is involved in several northern based pottery and craft groups. "For the last ten years or so, I have taught pottery to 11-15 year olds at the Mount School in York as part of their after school activities. It's great, I have quite a free rein as there is no curriculum to be tied to with after school pursuits." Andrea says that she enjoys the opportunity that this work gives her to try new things out with the children. She also shares her skills and interests with an older generation when she gives talks to groups such as the WI. "The talks work really well and I do enjoy them," she explained. "I chat about what I do, demonstrate some of the making processes, sometimes people have-a-go, and I also take some of my work along to sell." In addition to belonging to the York Branch of Northern Potters and being the Administrator for the York Open Art Studios, Andrea is also a Brigantia Committee Member. Brigantia is a northern based group of makers who endeavour to promote their work through various events. This year Brigantia will be celebrating their 10th year with a special show on 10 and 11 September at Castle Howard, an elegant and popular stately home near York.
I asked Andrea why membership and involvement with groups such as these was important to her. "By belonging I can try to make a difference, have a say in what people pay for stands at the shows that the groups organise and so on. I've found it good to generally increase my experience and knowledge by helping to run events - it has given me an insight into how things are done. There is the chance to network with others, too, to support each other, which is important in dealing with the isolation that we can sometimes experience."
Interestingly, Andrea has recently been looking into her family's history and has traced the Cundell name as far back as 1752 in York. "I discovered some creative links, too," she told us. "Many years ago Peter Cundell was recorded as having taken an apprenticeship with a cordwainer and after that George Cundell was a blacksmith. I expect that their workshops would have been a bit like mine, really, but in North Street in York, an area near the river which would have flooded easily."
So, having looked to the past, what were Andrea's thoughts for the future? "I'm making some much larger pots at the moment and also some lamps, following a Christmas order which was successful. I'm involved in the Open Air Art Exhibition in York in July, which provides a good springboard for new potters. But really, I'm just a jobbing potter, I just love making and I'm really not looking for anything more."
For special commissions of for further information contact
Andrea on: T: 01904 797631
