Jephson -SOLD
By Steve Woodcock
Ceramic sculpture - stoneware with oxides on wooden base
Original Artwork
Height: 18cm
Individually hand-built in stoneware clay and glazed with oxides that pick out its intricate details of face, skin scales and form, this is one of Steve's arresting and quirky mechanical-cum-organic creatures, named because he is 'son of' a first version that he named Jeph. (The father was created, live, in frontof an audience in Jephson Gardens in Leamngton during an arts festival.)
Typically, Jephson's body is a hybrid of mechanical and fleshy parts, melded together. He is both a reflection of our modern, techically-driven lives and a throwback to some fantasy world of evolving life.
Steve has quite a following for his sculpting work and it has been shown across the Midlands and South-West, having won his first major acclaim at the International Ceramics Federation festival almost a decade ago.
ABOUT STEVE WOODCOCK
Steve is captivated by ceramic creation. Whether it's thrown vessels or hand-built, sculptured pieces, he never tires of exploring the versatility and diversity of clay. Every piece takes on individual attributes and features. It's an iterative and an organic process - and marvellously addictive.
Working from his Oxfordshire studio, his sculptures and vessels are all one-offs, though he has developed ranges and 'families' with similar motifs, structural characteristics and other idiosyncrasies.
With their fused mechanical and organic limbs, his larger creatures also have surface textures that suggest musculature and physical detail, like skin and scales, melded together with robotic joints, spouts and hinges, all underpinned by a clay skeleton. Visual clues hint at each figure's character and back-story.
Smaller sculptures always hold a story too, sometimes humorous and sometimes melancholic – their tales evolve as Steve builds each one.
The pots and vessels are also quirky and - in their finishes, glazes and design details - hold individual appeal, enhancing their functional form.
His distinctive work has been exhibited at the International Ceramics Federation and displayed and sold in numerous regional galleries and shows. He has produced commissions of many kinds, including tableware sets and chess sets of ceramic figures and handmade boards.