Nic Collins -2011 Exhibition Invitation- at the Goldmark Gallery - YouTube

Nick Collins' work is very, very special. I've had huge pleasure from the pieces that I own. I think that the work is getting better and better. He can make very small things that are just beautifully formed and simple and beautifully made and then he'll make very large spontaneous pots, you know, energy, the energy oozes out of them. He makes beautiful pots for me. He's one of my favourite potters. He doesn't mimic in some ways what other people do. He's very much, he does things his own way. I find perfection very boring, you know. I'm looking for something slightly different and that's why, well, if you look at my pots, they're not perfectly round. They'll have scars on from the fire but that's everything that I'm looking for in wood firing. There's a kind of a grey area, isn't there, between studio ceramics and fine art and I think wood firing is kind of in that grey area. It's like a painting and when I pack the kiln, that's exactly what I'm doing, you know. I'm kind of imagining where the fire's going to hit, what clay I'm using, what kind of colour palette I'm going to get and, you know, where's the ash going to run if this fire flame's going to hit this pot and then weave around and hit the other one. So it is like a painting and a slightly out of control painting. I remember when I was at Derby training and there was a girl there. I fell in love with the man, not because she was beautiful. She'd got a scar down her face and she was different, you know what I mean, and she was a stunner and if my pots can carry that kind of power then I'm happy with that, very happy with that. I'm really looking forward to the forthcoming show. We expect a big crowd. If you aren't on our mailing list and you would like an invitation to the opening and see what will be the biggest show that Nick Collins has ever put on, something like 180 pots, do give us a ring or send us an email and we'd be delighted to send you an invitation and to welcome you to Uppingham.