Welcome to
Alison Waters Art
Ceramics - Print - Artist's Books - Workshop facilitator
ARTS FOR WELLBEING
I am a mixed media artist working from GRIT Studio, Stockport where I work primarily on creating decorated, hand built ceramics. I regularly facilitate workshops in both ceramics and mixed media for several ceramic studios and also for ARC - Arts for Recovery in Stockport and Lime Arts, Manchester NHS Trust.
I have a particular interest in community and arts for well being and have many years of experience working within the SEMH educational sector.
I find my inspiration in the environment that surrounds me. Encouraging others to look closer and longer at the beauty around them.
Galleries and Exhibitions
I have my work for sale in several private galleries across the UK. I also sell through local makers markets and through my ETSY account.
Creative Recycling Gallery, Chorlton
Identity
Porcelain plates and bowls inspired by the poem 'Heartwood' by Rob McFarlane
Calgary Arts Gallery, Isle of Mull
Lanagmull Tree Rings
Porcelain and stoneware vases inspired by the hauntingly beautiful tree stumps found at Langamull - North West Mull Community Woodland.
Great Northern Craft Fair (online)
November 2020
Due to the pandemic the GNCF took place online last year.
Heatons Art Trail
July 2018 - 19
List Body
Manchester Art Gallery Shop
20:22 - Identity
Porcelain pinch pots with tree ring sgraffito chosen to be a part of 20:22 selling exhibition in gallery shop
Stockport War Memorial Gallery
Stockport Open Exhibition 2022
Stockport Chimneys - Stoneware ceramic vases inspired by the industrial north.
Teaching and Workshops
Artist in Residence
Bramall Hall
Working within the Park on a series of drawings, developing them into wood block prints. Facilitating a book making workshop for public within the Park.
Workshop Facilitator
CLAY Studio, Manchester Dec 2017 - present day
Planning and facilitating adult and family workshops in hand built ceramics.
Workshop facilitator - In person and virtually
ARC Centre, Stockport 2016 - present day
Planning and facilitating a variety of mixed media workshops for :-
Public programme - ceramics, drawing, bookmaking
Tameside GP referral group
Community programme
Creative Challenge
HYMS transitional group
Creative instructional videos
ARC Centre, Stockport 2020 - 2021
Planning, filming and editing a variety of instructional videos for ARC Service users to access online.
Arts for Wellbeing facilitator
Lime Arts Manchester NHS Trust
Planning and delivering Arts for wellbeing sessions for NHS Trust staff
Alison Waters
Inspiration
My inspiration comes from the ephemeral beauty of the natural world and an appreciation of its healing power. I combine my passion for drawing and hand built ceramics working in porcelain or stoneware, decorating the surface with my observations from nature.
IDENTITY
I have a particular passion for trees and have a collection of ceramics inspired by the hauntingly beautiful felled tree stumps found at Langamull, North West Mull Community Woodland.
STOCKPORT CHIMNEYS
Moving studios to the grey and slightly down trodden town of Stockport town has influenced my ceramics away from the natural to the industrial. A vintage book found on a Stockport marketplace stall boasted of Stockport being the envy of the north with its new 1960's shopping precinct and revolutionary high rise housing. As Stockport undergoes a new wave of transformation I seek to capture the town as it is before change for better or worse, happens once again.
My Story
Having graduated in 2015 from Manchester School of art as a mature student with a 1st class hons degree in Creative Practice, I was at a loss - what to do next ... and so my journey with ceramics began ... CLAY studio Manchester had just opened and so I enrolled on a 6 week hand building course. 8 years later I am now at a new artist studio in Stockport - GRIT Studio and facilitating my own ceramic's workshops whilst selling my work through galleries and by commission.
Arts for Wellbeing is my passion and I regularly facilitate sessions for ARC and Lyme Arts.
Ceramics
1
Heartwood ...
Hand built porcelain plate with sgraffito decoration of tree ring with poetry by Rob McFarlane - Put an ear to my bark cutter, hear my saps mutter ... Would you turn me to timber cutter, leave me nothing but a pile of logs, pile of brash?
I go to the Peace of Wild Things 2
Beautiful hand built stoneware pot. Hand decorated with illustration of birch trees.
Some Plants Die Beautifully ...
Coiled stoneware vase with sgraffito decoration of seedheads and text 'Some plants die beautifully, death becomes them.'
Langamull Tree Rings - Porcelain
Delicate hand built porcelain vases. Unglazed with black sgraffito decoration inspired from the Forestry Commission land at Langamull, Isle of Mull.
Langamull Tree Rings - porcelain bowls
Delicate hand built porcelain bowls. Unglazed with black sgraffito decoration inspired from the Forestry Commission land at Langamull, Isle of Mull.
Langamull Tree Rings Stoneware bowl
Contemporary hand built stoneware bowl decorated with black sgraffito tree ring design inspired from the Forestry Commission land at Langamull, Isle of Mull.
Handmade Books
Etchings and screen prints
The Pathos of Things
To the Woods
Forest Bathing
Inspired by Japanese imagery, this beautiful fan is decorated with screen printed images of leaf skeletons. Delicate Japanese paper is intricately concertina folded to create the pages of this artist's book.
Etching of woodland illustration printed onto Japanese paper
Based on drawings of the trees in Whitworth park, this birch plywood fan screen printed and embellished with gold foil.
Ceramics
2
Identity ...
Beautiful petit porcelain pinch pots. Black sgraffito decoration echoing the individual identity of every tree.
I go to the Peace of Wild Things 2
Beautiful hand coiled stoneware pot. Hand decorated with illustration of birch trees.
Langamull Tree Rings - Stoneware...
Hand built stoneware vase with hand carved and sgraffito tree ring. Inspired from the Forestry Commission land at Langamull, Isle of Mull.
Stockport Chimneys
Contemporary hand built vase in glazed and unglazed stoneware.
3 little birds..
Hand built porcelain bowl, spot glazed on colour. Inspired by the beautiful garden birds that have been our joy and solace through the lockdown. Features colours of robin, blue tit and blackbird.
I saw a flash of black...
Hand built porcelain vase. Spot glazed on colour. Inspired by the beautiful garden birds that have been our joy and solace through the lockdown. Each vase features one bird: blackbird, robin, blue tit, great tit, sparrow.
Workshops
Ceramics, book making, drawing and collage.
I have many years experience of teaching SEMH students and delivering art workshops to a people of all ages. I specialise in facilitating to vulnerable children and adults and encourage them to find the value in using art as a therapy.
Workshops can be tailored to suit anyone and can be in a variety of media from clay to paper and collage. I can deliver workshops from Cakebread Workshop or at a venue to suit the client. I am also now very confident at delivering virtual workshops over zoom.
Please feel free to message me with any queries.
Arts for Wellbeing
Examples of workshops
Book in a Box
Miniature book in a box created by collaging with postage stamps
STARLING INC Young persons workshop
Collaborative Large Scale Collage
Created with hand painted papers
ARC Stockport Community Programme
Exploring Mark Making
Mark making on paper and ceramic tiles
ARC Stockport SHINE Young Peoples Project
Arts for Wellbeing
Examples of workshops
Large Scale Collaborative Book
Large Scale book based on poem "Hope is a thing with feathers..." created by collaging hand painted papers
LIME ARTS Manchester NHS Trust
Collage and Ceramic Tiles
Hand made ceramic tiles decorated with digital transfer of collaged piece
LIME ARTS Manchester NHS Trust
Mod Roc Creative Creatues
Mod Roc sculpture
ARC Stockport SHINE Young Peoples Project
