Craig Underhill: What the tide gives back

Cornwall-based ceramicist Craig Underhill creates slab-built forms that blur the line between sculpture and vessel, their surfaces layered with marks and colour drawn straight from the Cornish coastline. In this conversation, Craig reflects on thirty-five years of practice, sketchbooks, glazes, and a brand new body of work that has him immersing raw, unfired clay in the sea to see what the tide gives back.

Show Notes

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Finding colour in your own surroundings. You'll see how Craig builds his entire palette from the Cornish landscape around him, a nudge to look at what's already outside your own studio door before reaching for inspiration elsewhere.

• Treating your sketchbook as a record, not a rough draft. Craig's rule of never rubbing anything out shows how keeping your mistakes visible, rather than erasing them, can become part of your creative process.

• Letting one technique lead to another. His ocean project grew directly out of an existing studio method, a reminder that experimenting within your current practice can open doors you didn't expect.

• Trusting that ideas can wait. Pieces that sat untouched on his shelf for years eventually became his starting point again, showing that shelved work isn't wasted work.

• Learning to protect your making time. Even after 35 years, Craig still struggles to say no to good opportunities, proof that guarding your creative time is a skill you keep building, not one you master once.

During the live interview, we shared some images of Craig’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below. 

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