Richard Baxter

• Born in 1959 in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex where I live and work.
  
  
• Received a First at Loughborough College for my thrown and partially glazed terra-cotta pots. This work developed into my current range of domestic ware but also contained the seeds of my pot-based sculptures which I call "relics".
  
  
• Strong images of decay and reconstruction are produced by continuing the making process beyond the "complete" stage; by breaking away portions to reveal both the interior of the form and the clay fabric. Broken rims often have wire spanning the gaps to create a visual barrier, while the breaks frequently take on shapes that could not happen by natural decay.
  
  
• One-off bowls are thrown, turned, cut into slices (straight or wavy) and rejoined to create ripples, waves, twists and shifts. They are informed by the mathematical basis behind geological, marine and other natural phenomena.
  
  
• Domestic ware is made in terracotta; simple bold forms glazed in either blue or partially glazed with honey with unglazed areas of vitrified black and white slips. Decoration reflects an interest in prehistoric British pottery.