Working with clay allows a line of communication through form.
Sue Mundy is a ceramic artist specializing in hand-built sculptural forms, creating one-off pieces from her studio near Reading, Berkshire. Working predominantly with white stoneware clay, Sue employs traditional methods of slabbing and hand coiling to craft her distinctive sculptures. Her work is deeply inspired by her close observations of the natural world, particularly the textural qualities and intricate details found in trees and bones, which she meticulously incorporates into each piece.
Sue's Artistic Journey
Sue has maintained a lifelong association with clay, beginning during her school years and leading to direct entry to North Staffordshire University. She completed her BA (Hons) in Multidisciplinary Design with a specialization in ceramics from 1983-1986, followed by a Further Education Certificate from City & Guilds. Throughout her career, Sue has always recognized clay as her true medium, a material that allows her to encompass various aspects of her life and express her emotional responses to the surrounding world.
The Creative Process of Sue Mundy
Using hand-building techniques, Sue produces bottle-like forms that are repeatedly scraped to reveal organic openings. In her sculptural works, she creates deliberate junctions by detaching and re-joining the outstretched necks, where distinctive collars or shoulders evolve. A key shift in her artistic practice reflects her focus on purely aesthetic considerations over functional ones, allowing her creative expression to take precedence.
Professional Recognition and Teaching
Sue's expertise has been recognized through her selection as a member of both The Craft Potters Association, where she has been elected to their governing council, and the Society of Designer Craftsmen. Her work has been exhibited extensively across the UK in prestigious venues including Contemporary Ceramics London, Cambridge Contemporary Art, Beaux Arts in Bath, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and Ceramic Art London. Sue has also shared her knowledge as a ceramics tutor at Bracknell & Wokingham College since 1990, conducted workshops in schools and colleges, and served as Artist in Residence at the University of Reading from 2018 to 2020. Through Activate Learning, she continues to teach "Ceramics for All" courses and regularly conducts workshops at West Dean College, Chichester.