Another brilliant creation by one of my favourite contemporary ceramicists, Ian Rylatt.
In typical Rylatt fashion, this cup and saucer is far from conventional in form, being tall and elongated but contrasted in this case with a very simple and elegant cream glaze accented with brown banding to the cup and saucer rim and bottom quarter of the cup. The jutting handle is elegant in proportion, matching the flared vessel angle, mimicking that bold approach of Art Deco or even Clarice Cliff designs.
For Ian Rylatt, it all started with the humble teapot and the pushing of the boundaries associated with highly technical pot throwing. Proportions become increasingly exaggerated, juxtaposing and bold forms joining to become one. This particular example when compared to other work in Ian Rylatt's extensive portfolio is what I would actually consider to be on the more conventional side, yet I still find myself drawn more to this earlier work for how matter-of-fact it seems, simply a masterful and unique approach to form whilst remaining perfectly functional rather than purely object d'art.
Ian Rylatt was born in Lincoln, the closest city to where I grew up myself. He studied at the Lincoln College of Art, then Manchester Polytechnic, before establishing himself as a potter full-time and founding Harding House Gallery in 1990. He later moved to Wales to produce pieces there, becoming a member of the Makers Guild of Wales where his work is exhibited in Cardiff.
