Meet the Maker
I’m a ceramicist with a passion for heritage craft, both the physical craft skills and the history of the industries and craftspeople involved. It’s fascinating to learn about their work & their stories. Those are the things that inform my work, each of my piece’s act as a learning tool and revive craft heritage, via a modern interpretation.
I hand build all of my pieces, using a mix of coil and slab building techniques as I believe this strengthens my bond with my materials. I take time to study original techniques used by the craftspeople and I bring these to my work wherever possible. I have a passion for 3D modelling and illustration when it comes to decoration, I find that these methods help bring originality and personality to my work. I really enjoy working with scale, it brings gravity and presence to the subject matter. Moving forward, I am looking to scale down a little, experimenting and exploring new forms and technical elements.
“Lil Sanderson is a Ceramic artist who holds a great love and interest for the revival of heritage craft. She pulls her inspiration from her hometown of Sunderland and its little -known crafting history, more specifically its potteries that once produced Sunderland Ware. Lil’s work combines references of historical ceramic pieces and their characteristics and considerately brings them into the now with a twist of her own style through her 3D modelling sculpture work and experimental glaze application. Her mission is to bring attention to lesser-known branches of heritage craft and to explore the stories and knowledge that can be learnt from it. Through this collection, “My People Make Things”, she has explored the classical past of Sunderland ware, the culture of the city and how Sunderland ware could potentially be modernised for current audiences.”
Sally Bent, Director. New Designers.