Forms of Life

Raymond Kinghan was born in Belfast and it was at the Belfast College of Art that he startedhis carreer in ceramics. By 1979 he had completed an M.A. in Industrial Ceramic Design at North Staffordshire Polytechnic and was working as a freelance ceramics designer in the Staffordshire potteries. This experience proved crucial for him as he reacted strenuously against the type of work which the ceramics industry viewed as commercially desirable and which he was constrained to produce or reproduce in order to make a living. Raymond had made work concerned with animals since his B.A. days in Belfast and while in Staffordshire he held three exhibitions, rwo of them solo shows, which confirmed his commitment to the theme.

In 1983 he made the decison to return to Belfast. In 1984 he set up Parrot Lodge Pottery together with Karen Noble. Their work shared common themes and techniques, making animals, dirds and fish ceramic sculptures. In 1988 Raymond started working in the raku technique and also began to experiment with brightly coloured low-sol glazes. this change in technique revitalised his approach to ceramics and he developed new strands of thought which have since become central to his work. Now, in his purpose built Portobello studio, colour meets form in ever challenging ways. Specially trained staff make & paint by hand each individual piece, ensuring that no two are alike, and that every one is imbued with a sense of life