Since leaving Camberwell College of Art in 1998 I have been primarily working with hand built porcelain. My work addresses the boundaries between function and decoration. Form is paramount; function is a driving motivation, but it is the aesthetics of a piece that are key to my making. The early influences from London; buildings, windows, streets and sounds remain with me although living in rural Wales.
My work is very much concerned with the simplicity and beauty of the clay and incorporating pattern and texture as well as glaze to create subtle, unique variations. Thinness and movement are very important in each piece. From different heights and angles the dynamic relationships shift and change, the scale of each vessel allows the clay to move in a more tense yet natural way. Multiple connections can be seen between shape, form and surface, drawing the viewer in and encouraging them to look into and around the groups, each one displaying its own unique character and conversation.
‘Justine Allison’s intricately made vessels are eloquent and uplifting. Effectively so because of their unassuming presence. Light is attracted to them, held, and radiates from them. There is a quietude to Justine’s work that reflects both the meditative process of its making and the grace of the finished forms. They are not perfect, they are precise. They have strong lines and soft colours. They are fixed forms that convey movement. They are vessels that make us hold our breath.’
Ceri Jones Curator and Director Mission Gallery.
