Rhona Frances 'Issey'
Dimensions - Ø 5cm x H 16cm
Materials - Stoneware with a white crackled glazed interior and exterior. With gold embellishment.
Method - Hand built and fired outdoors in a gas kiln to 1000°C. While still red hot, the piece is removed from the kiln and placed into a reduction chamber filled with locally sourced dry wood shavings. The resulting carbon is absorbed into the surface, creating a crackled glaze on the interior and exterior.
Care - Indoor decorative use only. Wipe with damp cloth and dry.
Description
This ceramic vessel was hand built and raku fired in Rhona’s studio in Cornwall. Embracing a considered and unhurried approach, Frances allows the form to develop gradually, guided by a meditative rhythm of coiling and shaping. The pace of this process informs both the structure and the quiet character of the piece, reflecting her affinity with the Wabi Sabi aesthetic philosophy.
The softly rounded silhouette conveys balance and composure, while fine crackles within the glaze surface reveal the clay’s natural response to the intensity of firing. Rather than concealing these variations, they are embraced as part of the vessel’s story, suggesting resilience within fragility. A restrained palette and subtle tonal shifts enhance its calm presence, inviting closer observation and an appreciation of its refined details.
About the Artist
Rhona Frances is a ceramic artist based on the south coast of Cornwall, specialising in minimalist vessels with soft, feminine forms. Working with stoneware clay, Frances builds each piece slowly using the hand-building technique of coiling, allowing form to evolve through quiet repetition. Central to her practice, and in contrast to the calm, measured construction of her vessels, is the raku firing process; an inherently volatile and unpredictable method. The resulting crackle surfaces act as delicate records of fire, smoke, and transformation. The philosophy of non-attachment is fundamental to Frances’s work; some vessels are lost during firing, and this acceptance of fragility has become an integral part of her artistic outlook.
Read more about Rhona's practice and view their full collection..
