Hasta La Ideas

by Richard Prime

Working out of one of South London’s hidden creative hubs, the mystical New Cross and Deptford, Katharine Morling creates whimsical and often outlandish sculpture from porcelain and ceramics.

A world away from the often stuffy stigma of the form, her work attracts a solid base of admirers on the strength of her imagination alone. Lately the designer has moved her collection on a notch, following an experimental piece which saw her make a fully operational armchair and ottoman—pieces which required using a huge glazing machine to finish the giant creations. She also toyed with flocking some of her pieces with super-pop bright accents, something that most traditional porcelain artists would deem a heathen act.

Morling completed a hectic 2009 which saw her continue to work from her studio while furthering her studies at the Royal College of Art culminating in a sell-out final show.

Her current body of work takes the notion of animating the world of toys through her dynamic approach to ceramic art. “The objects can be described as three-dimensional drawings at first. However the true nature of the material is not so apparent at first. Is it paper? Textiles? It’s clearly ceramic to the touch though,” explains Morling. “The pieces work together as a tableau as stories start to unravel in the mind of the viewer. A slightly surreal experience is created when one walks amongst this life-size vision,” she continues.

Her pieces have a tendency to sell quickly, often with single collectors swooping down to her open studios to buy in bulk. With viewers reveling in the unbridled creativity of the artist, eager for a slice of escapism, she is fast turning into one of the most exciting and captivating artists with her star rapidly rising.

Morling is already looking forward to another busy year with many private commissions lining up, an entire room to fit out in porcelain—part of which will be shown in Belgium by the World Crafts Council and at a group show in Beijing.

See more images after the jump.