INSPIRED: Sophie Cook

Join us as we head to the Suffolk coast and the studio of ceramicist Sophie Cook where she’ll inspire you with her meticulous making process, the simple yet beautiful forms she creates and the ultimate pursuit of perfection in her work.

Working in porcelain the shapes Sophie produces are extremely delicate and it’s rare for all four of the pieces she throws every day to survive. Having said that, the shelves in her studio are filled with vessels in a variety of curvaceous shapes and a beautiful spectrum of colours and glazes. 

Known for her elegant porcelain bottles, pods and teardrop vessels Sophie’s work focusses on the relationship between form and colour and are often displayed in perfectly balanced groups. Sophie’s work has been described as ‘a collector’s dream' with 'the more you own, the better they look’.

So beware, you’ll soon want to start collecting her pieces, and with so many amazing colours, tones and shapes it’s impossible to only choose one!

Step inside Sophie’s studio with us as we get to share in her making process and discover what drives and inspires her work.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into ceramics…

I always loved art at school and whilst doing an art foundation course at Camberwell College in London I wandered into the ceramics department and immediately loved the idea of making 3-dimensional work instead of the work on paper that I’d been doing. I ended up doing my ceramic degree there too.

Your signature shapes are extremely fluid; a fine balance between the solid base and an incredibly delicate and elegant neck. What inspired your shapes and style?

They actually started out from a love of buildings/towers that I used to doodle and then started to build in clay. The more intellectual answer is that they were inspired by Morandi (who I do love).

The unique forms you throw, in particular the delicacy of the top must require a certain amount of control and precision, is that something which comes naturally to you? 

The downside of working in porcelain is that if you spend too much time working with it, it collapses, and the work is lost so they take loads of concentration. It’s not something that becomes easier over time, every piece is a challenge. 

You create sculptural forms rather than functional objects or vases, was your work always intentionally non-functional or has it evolved over the years?

The bottles used to have wider necks that you could have a single stem flower in but in the nineties some people started putting wire flowers in that looked really naff so I started to make the necks skinnier, so that this couldn’t happen. 

You’re currently working on some new adaptations of your shapes and using some new, earthier glazes. Tell us a little more about this new evolution…

Although my work probably looks quite similar, I’m always trying to evolve the shapes. I’ve been looking at mid century Danish ceramics recently which are inspiring some new shapes and glazes. In the past when I found a form I liked, I used to stop there and keep reproducing it, but lately I have just been enjoying experimenting.

Are you ever tempted to break the mould and throw a totally radical shape or create something unexpected?

The piece will always be circular so you can’t ever do anything too radical. I get urges to paint and decorate pieces but I haven’t done this for a while. I’ve just been to the Picasso museum in Paris this week and was looking at his painted plates; I think I should have some experimental time soon.

Let’s talk about colour… I absolutely love the vibrant colours, tones and glazes that are part of your unique style as they’re so uplifting and refreshing. How do you achieve such vibrancy with the colour?

Practice, literally hours of testing glaze recipe after glaze recipe. 

I work in porcelain which is lovely to work with as it’s white and clean and it means when the glaze is applied you can achieve really fresh vibrant colours. I’ve always been compelled by colours and the porcelain allows me to strive for a cleanliness that I hadn’t seen before in ceramics. 

The form and the colour go hand in hand in the balance of the final object, when you throw a new shape how do you choose which colour feels right? 

For me, both elements of colour and form are equally important. I don’t set out with a particular vision when I begin making, but once I have a shape I like, I know what colour it is destined for. 

Most of the time I’m asked to produce specific shapes with specific colours but if I’m just making a collection, I usually have a feeling about which colour will work on a new piece. And I’m always striving to find the next perfect shape or the next perfect colour, it’s an obsession.

Your ceramics are often collected and displayed in groups of shape, colour and tone. Colour is such an instinctive and personal thing, do you have a favourite colour series or way that you like to put colours together?

I spend hours putting groups together so that the balance and height of the pieces work with the right tones. If it’s a group for a customer’s house, I’m usually given photos of the space where the pieces will be put so that I can tie in colours. I love it when someone sends me a photo of their shelves and offers me free rein to fill them.

Business is tough for most makers and small businesses right now, how do you navigate the commercial side of a creative passion and craft based business?

I’ve been lucky for many years and haven’t had to worry about advertising. Social media is undeniably helpful at widening my audience but I also need to have a presence in galleries as people will always want to see work in the flesh.

Tell us a little about your fashion style…

I don’t think you’d be surprised to hear that I don’t think I have one. I have a uniform of stripy t-shirts and jeans in the studio. I’m a bit smarter at the weekends but not much. 

What do you like most about CHAPTER 2 boots?

I think they’re really classic and amazingly comfortable. 

I like to think that shoes take you on adventures big and small, where will your Jackdaw Boots take you?

I imagine them taking me on some European breaks this autumn, most definitely to Lisbon with my book group (more of a drinking group).