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Face Plant
Katie Netley’s mother was a ceramics teacher. However, it took a while for Katie to realise she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Once she made up her mind, she went to Art College and on to a degree, majoring in ceramics and plastics, at the University of Brighton.
Because she was living in Brighton, where every other person was an artist or musician, it was difficult for Katie to establish herself. So, after careful thought, she made the decision to return to her home county of Surrey.
When she first started her profession, Katie used to draw out her designs before transferring them onto the clay. Now that she is more confident, she finds it more interesting and spontaneous if she carves the design straight into the clay. Katie’s designs are either abstracts or human-themed.
As a ceramic “storyteller”, Katie tells life stories through her work. So whenever she receives a private commission, she asks for interesting details about her client – their lives, interests, hobbies, jobs, etc - and “carves it” into the clay.
Now, Katie is an established ceramicist. Apart from being a member of the Surrey Sculpture Society, Katie is also a member of the Wey Ceramics Group, the Southern Ceramics Group, the Hampshire Artists, and exhibits at the Art and Clay shows. Her work can also be found in the Churt Sculpture Park and Hannah Peschar Gardens.
She also enjoys doing open studios so people can come to see her demonstrations and have the opportunity to ask for commissions. She tries her best to make her work as accessible and appealing to as many people as possible.