Faye Sanders

I was born and raised on a farm in the Isle of Man. I completed my Art Foundation course at the Isle of Man College in 2002 and went on to study ceramics at Camberwell College of Art London, part of the University of the Arts London from 2003-2006.

After graduating I couldn’t wait to return to the Island and set up my own studio. In 2010 I became a full time potter making tableware and studio pottery. In 2011 I married the boy from the farm across the valley and kept the family tradition of farming alive for another generation. I have since taken time away from the studio to welcome our two sons to the family and now work part time on pottery.

During my time at University l fell in love with throwing, the technique of creating pottery at the wheel. Much of my work is driven by the process of throwing and the possibilities of what can be created. I enjoy exploring non-traditional uses for this ancient craft and through this I have developed a collection of miniature Manx thatched cottages, called Thie Thooit in Manx.

The cottages are made by hand on the wheel, they are thrown in a large open circle and then divided into individual dwellings with their own little personalities. I use speckled, white and raku clay and after their first firing I apply an iron oxide wash to the roof to enhance the thatch effect which was created on the wheel using slip, a very liquid form of clay. Finally they are white washed with glaze before being fired again.

To me the cottages are a beautiful symbol of our Island, they represent the homes the Manx people built by hand, from the land and materials that surrounded them, and the lives and occupations that took place inside them. The cottages are available through Manx National heritage who have been a very supportive of my current body of work and its links to their heritage preservation goal.

I work in stoneware clay which is fired to 1260c, I love the very hard impermeable nature of the clay and the inseparable bond between the clay and glaze at this high temperature.
I also teach at the Isle of Man College and have previously taught privately for one to one throwing and hand building lessons.

facebook.com /FayeChristianCeramics
Instagram @isleofmanpotter