Ainsley Tailor

Ainsley matriculated from Oriel School, Harare, Zimbabwe. She received her teaching diploma while still in Zimbabwe. She completed a foundation art Course at Bridgwater College, Somerset, UK. Moving to South Africa she recently completed B Tech: Ceramic Design (Cum Laude)at University of Johannesburg (2007).

Ainsley has participated in a number of group exhibitions, most recently the B-Tech Final Exhibition, University of Johannesburg (2007). She has also participated in the Carol Boyes Metal Competition receiving a merit award for her salt and pepper set (2005), and a place in the finals for her candleholder and salad servers in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

These are very exciting times to be working in ceramics; to quote Garth Clark, ‘the once rigid ‘clay-is-always-craft’ rule is beginning to soften, with a resultant paradigm shift that opens the door to enormous possibilities for ceramists today. The advances in technology and the blurring of boundaries between disciplines also offers enormous scope, and my passion is to explore these possibilities whilst honouring the fundamental but often unconscious connection with the earth that ceramics offers us. My desire is to create objects of beauty that evoke the familiar in fresh and unexpected ways, and the inspiration for my current work is drawn from the stark beauty of bare winter trees.

Information courtesy of the artist.