Lincoln Kirby Bell
Born and raised in a small coastal town in Australia Lincoln has travelled extensively which has informed his work as well as a keen interest in archaeology having worked on many excavations around the world, he now resides in south west Cornwall.
Since completing a degree in ceramic design in 1983, he has worked full time as a studio potter in a number of countries, taught, and worked on a number of archaeological ceramic excavations.
Lincoln mostly makes wheel thrown tableware which is extensively decorated employing 'slip trailing' which gives the decoration a distinctive raised surface. Colourful designs, as well as simpler blue and white designs are used to convey a sense of fun and joyousness in the work.
Functional as well as aesthetic considerations are equally important and the work is made to be used, fired to low stoneware, the work is both dishwasher and microwave proof.
He enjoys making work that is witty and fun and can be used every day. His ceramics almost entirely revolve around the concept of ‘vessels’ or objects that can be used to eat and drink from or contain something.
The roots of his decorating techniques lay in the 16th/17th centuries’ slip trailed wares of English folk potters such as the Toff and Simpson families, the last such work produced in England before the advent of the Industrial Revolution. His decoration is largely inspired by basic design elements that can be found in all ancient civilizations- spots, spirals, circles, linear patterns and stripe