We are pleased to introduce our new starter studio holders who will be starting work in their studios from September. This is a very exciting time here at Yorkshire Artspace as these early career artists get settled in and find their way around their new studios and equipment.

First up, Rebecca Brown is a ceramicist joining us from Inverness. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, she combines illustration, ceramics and printmaking to make her rather wonderful and very wobbly work. Like all the starters, Rebecca is embarking on a two year programme here which provides her with the studio space and equipment, skills mentorship and business skills training she will need to embark on a sustainable career in making.

Rebecca, alongside her fellow starter Matt Calder, will be joining Sophie Lester and Bethany Stafford in their fantastic Manor Oaks studio. We wish Rebecca the best of luck and we look forward to seeing her work and career develop over the forthcoming two years.

How did you hear about the starter studio programme?

I came across the Starter Studio Programme online last year, and saw the call for applications being shared this year through Twitter and Facebook so plucked up the courage to apply.

What made you want to apply?

I’ve been based in Inverness for the past year and have had a great experience of mentoring while taking part in the Making Progress programme for new makers, run by Emergents. The Starter Studio seemed like the next step as it combined mentoring and technical support with access to a dedicated ceramics studio, in contrast to sporadic access I’ve had until this stage. Since leaving university last year I’ve really missed being among a community of artists and Sheffield seemed to be full of artists and makers, so that was an added attraction.

Can you describe your practice?

My work is largely inspired by superstitions and old wives tales. Each piece is made using coils, slabs, or pinching and mashing bits of clay together, and tends to have a bit of a wobble or to lurch to one side. As my technical skills have grown over the last few years I find myself trying hard not to lose the wobbly-ness. Working with the imagery conjured by these strange stories and sayings, I combine drawing, painting and printmaking to build narrative on the surface of hand-built ceramics, exposing brush-strokes, fingerprints and making marks to accentuate the relationship between vessel and narrative. In addition to the ceramics, I make zines, drawings and prints on paper.

Where can people see your work?

I have a portfolio website as well as a less formal Instagram account where I post work in work in progress, test pieces and illustration work.