Steven Edwards’ Candy Ribbon-like Ceramic Vessels Fool the Eye
Ceramic artist Steven Edwards creates vessels that resemble twisted saltwater taffy or woven licorice, often mistaken for edible confections. His process, developed during his master’s at the University of the Creative Arts in Farnham, combines wheel-throwing and hand-building with rules of repetition, compression, and cut. Each large piece comprises over 100 components and can take months to complete. Edwards’s fascination with clay began as a child in Bream, Gloucestershire, digging river clay and firing figures in an open fire. After a graphic design career with clients like Vodafone and the BBC, he returned to ceramics, earning his master’s and being selected for the British Ceramics Biennial in 2019. He signed with Vessel Gallery in 2022. His work is collected by Christian Louboutin, and he runs the ceramics program at Kingston University in London. A solo show titled “Infinite Folds” was held at Vessel Gallery in London, and his work has been exhibited at Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste in Toucy, France, and at the Résonances fair in Strasbourg.
Key facts
- Steven Edwards creates ceramic vessels that look like twisted saltwater taffy or woven licorice.
- His process combines wheel-throwing and hand-building with rules of repetition, compression, and cut.
- He developed the technique during his master’s degree at the University of the Creative Arts in Farnham.
- Large pieces have over 100 components and can take several months to make.
- Edwards’s childhood in Bream, Gloucestershire, involved digging clay from rivers and firing figures in an open fire.
- He earned a degree in applied arts with a ceramics specialization at the University of Derby.
- He had an award-winning graphic design career with clients like Vodafone and the BBC before returning to ceramics.
- He was selected for the British Ceramics Biennial in 2019 and signed with Vessel Gallery in 2022.
- His work is collected by Christian Louboutin.
- He runs the ceramics program at Kingston University in London.
- His solo show 'Infinite Folds' was at Vessel Gallery in London.
- His work has been exhibited at Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste in Toucy, France, and at the Résonances fair in Strasbourg.
Entities
Artists
- Steven Edwards
Institutions
- University of the Creative Arts
- University of Derby
- Royal Forest of Dean College
- Ceramics Review
- Vodafone
- BBC
- British Ceramics Biennial
- Vessel Gallery
- Kingston University
- Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste
- Résonances
Locations
- Farnham
- Bream
- Gloucestershire
- London
- Toucy
- France
- Strasbourg