From the archives: Vessels that hold light with Gizella Warburton

British textile artist Gizella Warburton discusses her sculptural vessel forms – shadowed, scratched, stitched, bound and burnt into being. Drawing on printed and woven textile training, she describes making as a visceral, intuitive process guided by feel rather than a fixed plan. This conversation explores balance, containment, and how landscape, light and ritual shape a practice built on patience.

Show Notes

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Working intuitively rather than to a fixed plan – learn how Gizella lets each piece reveal its own characteristics, responding to the work as it evolves rather than forcing a predetermined outcome.

• Balance as both physical and symbolic practice – her freestanding vessels aren't fixed in place, showing how considered weighting and proportion can create pieces that feel anchored yet delicate.

• Letting land and materials speak – from rescued floorboards to burning as ritual, discover how found and weathered materials can carry meaning into finished work.

• The value of working in series – her vessels evolve through connected bodies of work, offering a model for how one piece can naturally lead to the next.

• Confidence over perfection – her advice to "be brave" when exhibiting reframes vulnerability as a necessary part of putting authentic work into the world.
  

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

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Explore the images from this episode: