GALLERY

LINDA JOY

Based in Bristol Linda, originally studied fine art at Goldsmiths College, London and Dartington College of Art, Devon. In more recent years her venture into ceramic work has been developed at the Bristol School of Art.

Along side her work of Photography, Mask Making and Clay Leopards she has worked as a Photographer and Assistant Designer at Bristol Museum and as a free lance sculptor making film characters for Aardman Animations.

Her first leopard was unglazed and built sitting in a field on the day of the eclipse August 1999 to celebrate the unusual event. This was later blown apart in an outdoor clamp kiln due to wet weather. Not disheartened all pieces were gathered up re fired and stuck together for inspiration.

Now the leopards are all hand built using a combination of coil and slab method and are fired in an electric kiln. They are all called leopards though some have stripes, scratches, drips and splashes for body decoration as well as spots. Linda says “I think this must be what is meant by artistic licence”.

The Leopard simple upright stance was inspired by ethnic wooden head rests and seats forming animal shapes. The body decoration inspired by an tribe from East Nuba who used earth pigments, oils and scarification to decorate their faces and bodies some times using leopard designs.

Once they have gone through as far as the biscuit firing temp 1040 degrees centigrade “my favourite part is to play with the glazing” says Linda.