Artist: Elin Hughes
Elin Hughes, UK
Bio
Originally from North Wales, Elin is a potter who joined Kigbeare studios in September 2024. Prior to this she received a Create grant from the Welsh Arts Council to spend 18 months apprenticing with woodfiring potter Simon Levin in the US. Elin’s interest in woodfiring began while studying abroad in Gothenburg, Sweden as part of her Ceramics degree at Cardiff School of Art. Since graduating in 2019 she has shown work in multiple exhibitions in the UK including London Craft Week, Collect Art Fair and Circle Contemporary Gallery. Elin is focused on making gas and woodfired domestic ware.
Artist Statement
Eating and drinking are often at the core of social gatherings and have been throughout history. These activities facilitate communication and discussion, so in various ways pots have been at the centre of the conversations that shaped our present society. The woodfiring process is also a social activity that brings people together to collaborate, tell stories and delight in each other’s shared company. I am using my newfound knowledge from my time abroad to develop work which captures some of the warmth of these shared experiences.
EDUCATION
2016-2019 BA (Hons) Ceramics Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK (First-class) 2018 BA (Hons) Ceramics (Erasmus) HDK Academy for Arts and Design, Gothenburg, Sweden (6 months)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Feb 2023 - Present Apprentice to Simon Levin Mill Creek Pottery, Pawnee, Illinois, US July 2023 Panellist at ‘Kiln Firers Roundtable’ International Ceramics Festival, Aberystwyth, Aug- Nov 2022 Wood Firing Young Artist in Residence Guldagergaard, Skӕlskor, Denmark April 2020-Jan 2023 Admin and Social Media Assistant International Ceramics Festival, Aberystwyth March-April 2022 Assistant to Susanne Lukacs-Ringel Mörsingen, Germany (6 weeks) August 2020- Jan 2022 Throwing Instructor Dipsy Dragon, Dolgellau, UK
2021 Selected for ‘Crafting Business’ Crafts Council Mentoring Programme Sept 2021 Co-leader of Wood Firing Oxford University Anagama Project, Oxford, UK Nov 2019, Aug 2020 Wood Firing Volunteer Oxford University Anagama Project, Oxford, UK
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 ‘Broken Beauty’ Molton Brown Collaboration showcased in July MB Regent Street Store, London 2022 Ar Ddaear Gofod Bach/On Earth a Little Space Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw, Llanbedrog, UK
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 ‘Clay, Fire and Ash: Painting with Flames’ Clay College, Stoke-on-Trent, UK 2024 Ceramic Portal Series Showcase Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, UK
2024 Strictly Functional Pottery National Lancaster Museum of Art, PA, USA
2023 Carbondale Clay Center Holiday Invitational Carbondale, Colorado, USA
2023 Collect Art Fair with the Cynthia Corbett Gallery Somerset House, London 2022 Y Lle Celf (National Eisteddfod of Wales Young Artist Scholarship) Tregaron, Ceredigion, UK 2022 The Willow House Twenty Twenty Gallery, Ludlow, UK
2022 The Gallery (Liberty in collaboration with the Crafts Council) Liberty London 2022 Focus on the Female: London Art Fair Business Design Centre, London (Cynthia Corbett Gallery) 2021 An Artist in the World Mission Gallery, Swansea, UK
2021 Meaning Behind Materiality The Gainsborough Hotel, London (Cynthia Corbett Gallery) 2021 House of Pots 20 Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London
2021 Mind the Gap Circle Contemporary Gallery, Cornwall, UK
2021 Showcase Dover Street Market, Mayfair, London
2020 Young Welsh Artists MOMA Machynlleth, Powys, UK
2019 Young Masters Art Prize (The Cynthia Corbett Gallery) La Galleria, Pall Mall, London
AWARDS
2023 Arts Council Wales International Opportunities fund to attend NCECA, Cincinnati, Ohio 2022 Arts Council Wales CREATE Grant
2022 North America Wales Foundation Grant
2022 National Eisteddfod of Wales Young Artist Scholarship
2022 The Craft Pottery Charitable Trust Grant
2019 Shortlisted for Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize