Nicola Gillis

2024 QEST Emerging Maker - Ceramics
East Sussex

Nicola is a ceramicist based in Brighton who makes functional tableware, inspired by North East Asia’s rich ceramic traditions. A mostly self-taught maker, Nicola held her first solo exhibition in Tokyo at Lucite Gallery in 2023. She is now focused on expanding her body of work and improving her throwing technique to be the best potter she can.

With the help of QEST funding, Nicola will travel to South Korea to partake in a month-long wheel throwing residence with master Kwak Kyungtae at Toroo Atelier where she will build her confidence on the wheel. She will learn how to throw clay off the hump and master more advanced shapes from the tea bowl to plates, cylinders, teapots, jugs, large forms and vases.

Nicola believes the skills learned from the course will be crucial to her progression as an accomplished potter. Her long-term goal is to create larger, more technical work and to show her pieces at notable galleries and exhibitions.

I feel a strong connection to clay and the possibilities and challenges it offers. It is a craft that offers endless possibilities and that makes me feel excited for what I might achieve.

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