STEVE BROWN

Ever since he was a child, Steve Brown has been immersed in the world of art and has been creating for as long as he can remember. After spending 25 years working in the film industry as an animator, he felt a strong desire to return to working with his hands, just as he had in childhood when he sculpted characters from air-drying clay.

Reconnecting with clay reignited his passion and led him to explore the science of glazing. Immersing himself in the process, he eventually built his own gas kiln to enable his work to be fired in a reduced atmosphere, a technique that involves starving the kiln of oxygen between 870°C and 1300°C. This method enhances the texture and colour of his ceramics, shaped entirely by the kiln’s atmospheric conditions. By further amplifying these effects and working with high-iron stoneware, Steve creates pieces, that allow for a harmonious bond between his signature glazes, a pearly white Shino and his Bracken Sage glaze, to exist through subtle hints of orange tones.

Over the years, Steve has made a diverse range of pieces for several Michelin Star restaurants in London and Antwerp, and he continues to make distinct works in his newly built studio in rural Herefordshire, with his latest creative endeavour being creating teapots and bigger scale pieces. Steve’s interest in gardening, life in nature and simplicity inspires his work and his making process – for him, ceramics is all about not overworking or overthinking and knowing when to stop.

The balance of organic forms and delicate touches of earth tones is a reoccurring motif, that creates a distinct style in Steve’s artwork. His forms are often simple and refined, but he embraces imperfections that highlight the handmade process, whether it's the subtle marks left by trimming tools or small pieces of clay pushed back into the surface that interact with the glaze.