Body of Work, 2019 comprises of a series of paintings developed in response to the early ceramics industry in the North East. These works utilise the decorative frivolity of Sunderland’s Pink Lusterware pottery to reflect the psychological and physical impacts of labour within potteries in the 1800s. The toll upon the workforce was great. Yet, the Lusterware itself has a visual appeal which belies the methods of its making.

In 1840, Samuel Scriven wrote of his observations of the working conditions in the potteries and used his findings to petition for improvements in workers rights and health and safety. His writings became key inspirations.

The role of women within the potteries was a significant element in my research. Women were most often those responsible for the aesthetic qualities of the Lusterware pieces. The erratic bleeding stains, loose brush work and striking pallet of the ceramics have heavily influenced the formal aspects of this work. However, the suffering and exploitation of women in the workforce, as as a result, their children, underpins the mood and meaning within the works. Infant mortality rates for the children of the ceramic workers were extremely high. Those children who survived infancy were put to work in the potteries.

Body of Work, 2019, invites viewers to contemplate not only the issues of the past, but today’s systemic failings which still allow for high levels of exploitation within the workforce, and the continuing need to elevate women’s voices and stories.