Jon Gibbins
“Jon was born partially-sighted and from the age of two was registered blind. Throughout his life Jon has regularly tried to verbally explain the limits and characteristics of his sight and the way he perceives the moving world around him… he has slowly developed a way of surface treatment using reactive slips, the cutting and stretching of clay and the unpredictable outcomes of reduction gas firing; to bring fully-sighted people into the visual and textual world he lives in.”
Gibbins is a hugely interesting ceramicist who lives near where I am from. In the summer I went to his studio which was open to the public to see his work and where he lives. This was really interesting - he had his own self contained and sufficient ceramics studio, complete with kiln, potters wheel and glazing area. It was fascinating to hear about how he gets around difficulties which arrise with his disability and still creates such beautiful teabowls and sets, which are made to such a high standard and finish. On every piece of his he puts a brail stamp as his signature, another unique feature to his work.
