Virginia Dowe

I have been sculpting my ceramics professionally for almost 30 years since graduating from the University of Wolverhampton with a BA Honours in Ceramics.

The dogs begin as hollow extruded tubes of clay.

From these I cut and form their body, legs and their head, which is always fun as the positioning of an eyebrow or the dogs ears gives them their unique characters and personalities.
Using various props to support each dog they are left in my studio for over a week until they are completely dry and ready for the kiln. Where the clay is joined I leave a torn or cut edge, which I hope, shows how I am using clay. I tend to let the clay and the extruder inspire what the end dog will look like. For example, the clay tube may curl as I extrude it, which I will then use for the neck of a sitting dog, which is looking down.​​

Once dried, I raw glaze their eyes and noses before firing them to low stoneware temperature. They are then smoke-fired in a small, lidded incinerator, which is packed with combustibles like sawdust and paper, and left to burn down overnight. The spotty and patchy dogs that I produce are the result of masking areas where I don't want the smoke to go. I enjoy the very natural and often unexpected tones that are achieved using this method. Each dog is completely unique as a result of this process.