Clay Body Suspiro de Tiempo: Lucy Casson

'I am inspired by observations of people and animals, memories mixed with stories and imaginings. Animals and people merge, and everyday scenes and situations are populated with creatures. They represent us, with their busy everyday dramas.' - Lucy Casson

Clay Body is a new exhibition by British artist Lucy Casson, who creates 'small worlds of cartoon beings in poetic scenarios'. The exhibition showcases the first examples of works by the artist in ceramic and bronze. 

Small in scale, each menagerie is fuelled by Casson's meticulous observation of the human and animal condition. Everyday objects such a boot brushes, cheesegraters and biscuit cutters are juxtaposed with strange figurines in ceramic and bronze. These ordinary props render her clay characters and their actions even more surreal. 

Working in clay has initiated a personal journey for Casson: 

'With the clay, I have combined tin and wood - particularly fruit boxes. I feel this development has taken me back to my roots, to my family's ceramic background. Suspiro de Tiempo, the subtitle for the exhibition, translates from Spanish as 'a sigh or breath in time'. It represents my desire to capture ephemeral moments in a medium that is very grounded like clay.'

The daughter of renowned ceramicist and Crafts Council Director Michael Casson, Casson has exhibited in the USA, Asia and Europe. Her works are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum's 20^th Century Collection, the Craft Council Collection, London and the British Council Collection, and she has also created several site-specific public art installations.