Dawn Hajittofi delights us with her abstract painterly white earthenware ceramics. Each one tells a story through mark-making and colour, an exuberant expression of creativity in clay.
'I discovered a love for clay in my teens and always wanted to be a maker but life ultimately took me along a different path. I continued to be drawn back to clay over the years and eventually went on to study ceramics at Havering college and UCA Farnham. I was finally able to pursue my original passion and become a full-time maker in 2019.'
'From my studio in Surrey, I make thrown and altered vessels from white earthenware clay to represent a ‘life story’. I decorate the surface using coloured slips, oxides and underglazes adding indentations, randomly applied glaze and gilt to the surface. Influenced by years of pastoral work and counselling each process symbolizes the significant events we encounter and acknowledges the lasting impact they can have. I add gilt to reference ‘Kintsugi’ the restoring of a broken pot with gold. This much-loved metaphor is a reminder to stay hopeful when things fall apart and to celebrate all that we overcome.'