Ruthann is an artist and potter who lives in Norfolk but was born and brought up in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in California, between the ocean and desert. She says that “the primal connections to such physical elements as the mountains, sea and desert have formed me and been essential to the inspiration for my making pots”.  Her work is epitomised by soda glazing the clay and using “slips” (a mixture water, clay and mineral colourants e.g. manganese, iron, cobalt and chrome) to produce shades of orange, black, grey and blue.  

Ruthanne makes “families” of pots, in the same colours and form (oranges, browns and dark blues).  Her inspiration comes mainly from the natural world, especially the changing landscape and the human body.  Life drawing helps her reflect on the shape and form of her pots which take on a feeling of movement and dance.  She has built a brick kiln in the garden of her Norfolk home which is fired by wood and gas.  She sometimes uses clay dug from her own land to make pots. During the firing process she sprays the pots with a mixture of soda and water to produce a unique speckled finish.

Ruthanne is known internationally as a ceramic artist, bridging the world of art and ceramics.  See:  www.ruthannetudball.co.uk