meet: alex sickling
this week we are talking to alex sickling! alex is an image maker and a ceramicist based in the UK. we are excited to talk to her on the blog this week!
what is your background?
i studied visual communication at leeds college of art and design, i was lucky to have a really inspirational tutor (matthew the horse) and i had a lot of help from some incredibly patient ceramic technicians, who willingly answered endless amounts of questions.
how did you get started designing & selling?
i began selling at exhibitions that friends and i were putting on in leeds. etsy has been a great platform for showing and selling work to a wider audience, amazingly as far as japan and australia which i don't think would've been as easy without the internet!
what are your influences?
my influences mostly stem from trips away or places that i visit, i have a big thing for scandinavia and the outdoors, quaint villages, grand country houses, staffordshire pottery, folk and outsider art.
i try to limit the amount of time i look at other designers work, but i always take a quick peek at the work of nous vous, those guys know how to make clever playful images, and laura carlin's ceramics and illustrations have been one of my biggest influences since coming across her work at university.
what attracted you to ceramics?
i was attracted to ceramics whilst at university, i was interested in illustration and how it could translate into something tangible. i worked on a project re-creating royal memorabilia in my 2nd year, and i just instantly found the whole process of making and building functional and decorative objects so exciting.
what is your favorite item in your shop?
my favourite item in the shop is a ceramic ornament 'i sat with the cat', this was a figure from an exhibition i had in newcastle last year called 'bensham cats & swan boats' i live in a really culturally diverse area, and the work for the exhibition was heavily focused on the community and the people living there.
what do you love the most about your job?
the thing i most love about my job is the variety of projects i can work on, whether it's a private commission or working on an order for a shop or exhibition.
what advice would you give to makers who are just getting started?
the advice to makers just getting started would be, invest in a lot of bubble wrap and to say 'yes' to everything you can as you never know where it might lead to next.
