Sarah Purvey - Glimpse

Sarah Purvey has produced a body of work which explores the relationship between her drawings on paper and her clay practice. Her large vessels bring together ideas of mark and form, and are known for their visceral, tactile quality. The way that a figurative artist repeats drawings in order to interpret their subject, and the way that a landscape artist interprets the details of the land, are all apparent in the shape and texture of her strikingly powerful works. Sarah Purvey completed a BA (Hons) and later a Masters Degree in ceramics at Bath Spa University and is currently Artist in Residence at the Corsham Court Campus of Bath Spa University. She exhibits widely in the UK and abroad, and her works on paper and in clay are held in collections at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, the Chippenham Museum in Wiltshire, and as part of the Bath Spa University Art Collection. 

"The vessel carries thoughts and ideas revealing glimpses of self during the making process. The vessel is an autobiographical, meditative place, a place to hide in plain sight.

Through my practice on paper and in clay, I expose raw emotions without ever having to use words, I hide in plain sight. Sometimes I look at the pieces made and there's pure joy, sometimes there’s sadness, but all of the time there's me, the whole of me carried by the vessel."