By: EDWARDS, Sophie Jo (1996-)

Acq. Number: 907

Dimensions: 68 x 68 cm

Artwork_Medium: stoneware, porcelain slip, ash glazes

Purchased: 2024

Buyer: RENTON Andrew – CASW Hibbard Prize 2024

Location: Nantgarw China Works

Town: Nantgarw

Content: Sophie Jo Edwards made Of Hand and Land specially for Nantgarw China Works, using materials from the historic Nantgarw site. The work comprises one hundred highly textured stoneware tiles, created through a process of tearing and carving the clay. Sophie used Nantgarw clay pipes and porcelain sherds with floral moulding to leave impressions on the surface of some tiles. She also used Nantgarw porcelain sherds to create white splashes of slip, and wood ash from trees felled on the site to create a green glaze. The work reflects the artist’s philosophy of using locally sourced materials and responding to the specific character of a location. [Accession number: NGATM.2025.112] Image © Sophie Jo Edwards

Notes: Sophie Jo Edwards grew up on an organic farm near Llandysul in Ceredigion, where she now has her studio. She graduated with a BA in Ceramics from Cardiff School of Art and Design in 2024. At her degree show, she was awarded the Alan Barrett-Danes Technical Excellence Award in ceramics and the EDGE Kite Marque for showcasing skills in Ethical, Digital, Global, and Entrepreneurship. She is committed to using local materials, such as clay sourced directly from the land and experimenting with shrub and wood ash to enrich her glazes. She makes wheel-thrown functional ceramics as well as sculptural pieces created by carving and tearing clay.