Helen Coulton

BA (Hons) Artist Designer Maker

In my project, I have designed and created ceramic tableware, combining decorative art with functional products, using marbling to mimic abstract art. The works aims to bring nature inspired colours to tableware that can be enjoyed in everyday life.

As a lover of colour, marbling allows me to explore colour, shapes and patterns in abstract ways, freezing in time the moment when two colours mix together. Throwing is the ideal forming method for my work, as the wheel acts as my paint brush, pulling the coloured clay through the form. For me, this is much as a painter works on an abstract art, but with ceramic form as the canvas. The mechanics of throwing distort the pattern of the clay creating movement in the design. This links with nature as nature is always moving and changing around us.

Clay has a forgiving nature and its plastic properties make it ideal for my practice; I am able to move and form it into any desirable shape, seeing how the marbled clay responds to form and touch. The fact that I can re-claim the clay and use it again and again, gives me peace of mind as it as sustainable process and I find the repetitive motion between the potter and the wheel therapeutic.


Yn fy mhrosiect, rwyf wedi cynllunio a chreu llestri bwrdd seramig, gan gyfuno celfyddyd addurniadol â chynhyrchion swyddogaethol, gan ddefnyddio marmori i efelychu celfyddyd haniaethol. Nod y gweithiau yw dod â lliwiau wedi’u hysbrydoli gan natur i lestri bwrdd y gellir eu mwynhau mewn bywyd bob dydd.

Fel un sy’n hoff o liw, mae marmori yn fy ngalluogi i ymchwilio i liw, siapiau a phatrymau mewn ffyrdd haniaethol, gan rewi mewn amser y foment pan fydd dau liw yn cymysgu gyda’i gilydd. Taflu yw’r dull ffurfio delfrydol ar gyfer fy ngwaith, gan fod yr olwyn yn gweithredu fel brwsh paent, gan dynnu’r clai lliw trwy’r ffurf. I mi, mae hyn yn debyg iawn i waith arlunydd ar gelfyddyd haniaethol, ond gyda ffurf seramig fel y cynfas. Mae mecaneg taflu yn aflunio patrwm y clai gan greu symudiad yn y dyluniad. Mae hyn yn cysylltu â natur gan fod natur bob amser yn symud ac yn newid o’n cwmpas.

Mae gan glai natur faddeuol ac mae ei briodweddau plastig yn ei wneud yn ddelfrydol ar gyfer fy arfer; rwy’n gallu ei symud a’i ffurfio i unrhyw siâp a ddymunaf, gan weld sut mae’r clai wedi’i farmori’n ymateb i ffurf a chyffyrddiad. Mae’r ffaith y gallaf gael y clai yn ôl a’i ddefnyddio dro ar ôl tro yn rhoi tawelwch meddwl imi gan ei fod yn broses gynaliadwy ac mae’r symudiad ailadroddus rhwng y crochenydd a’r olwyn yn therapiwtig.

Other Exhibitors:

Kelly Sorcha Handy

Kelly Sorcha Handy

I am a craftsperson and textile artist, from Eryri. My work is very process-led and I specialise in felting, surface pattern design, and weaving. The main themes of my work are home, identity, and ecology. This project has been an exploration of coping with grief and...

Ella Taylor

Ella Taylor

I am a maker that works with wood and ceramics. For this collection I have created pendant lights and table lamps. These products are presented as exclusive decorative pieces but are also entirely functional. I show the natural beauty of wood by enhancing its grain...

Miranda Vaughan Kett

Miranda Vaughan Kett

‘Like Salmon’ is a contemporary sculpture collection on the theme of nostalgia and longing. The pieces are displayed in the format of a Wunderkammer – making a museum of my own memories. The contents of each vitrine refer to a particular memory from my family’s...

Carla Prinsloo

Carla Prinsloo

We have recently witnessed a steep rise in discussions about mental health, but this is not matched by levels of support provided, I design and make objects that aim to support mental wellness. These objects use light as well as visual patterns and textures designed...

Mary-Morgan Griffiths

Mary-Morgan Griffiths

My art is a manifestation of my special interests and a way to honour and nourish my inner child whilst addressing topics of neurodivergence and mental illness. Inspired by natural phenomena, patterns and textures, my work often has visual and tactile elements to...

Millie Rose Belding

Millie Rose Belding

I am a Welsh artist and designer specialising in Ceramics and Textiles. My work focuses on promoting sustainability in the design and production of a series of decorative homewares. This design series is inspired by traditional Welsh blanket design, it seeks to...