Sophie MacCarthy

Sophie MacCarthy has long made a name for her exuberant and luminously decorated ceramics. She has played a prominent role in the introduction of a more vivid colour palette into British studio pottery. Sophie has gone on to develop an almost trompe-l’oel illusion of depth through her method of painting with stencils, wax resist and paper cut-outs to create imagery that appears to float across the surfaces of her bowls, mugs, dishes and jugs of various shape. She has a poetic insight into the natural world, evoking the colours, forms and movements of the passing seasons, her decoration focussing on beautifully observed drifting or swimming motifs – such as leaves, twigs and fish-life – carried by breeze and water. Sophie studied at Amersham College of Further Education and Art, and at Wimbledon School of Art, and currently works in Stoke Newington, north London.

David Whiting