Collection: Elin Hughes

Yn wreiddiol o Ddolgellau, Gwynedd, rydw i ar hyn o bryd yn prentisio am ddeunaw mis gyda'r crochenydd tanio coed Simon Levin yn Pawnee, Illinois, UDA. Mae'r casgliad hwn o lestri yn dogfennu gwaith esblygol o'm hamser gyda Mill Creek Pottery.

Yn hanesyddol, bwyta ac yfed yw craidd y rhan fwyaf o gynulliadau cymdeithasol. Mae'r gweithgareddau hyn yn hwyluso cyfathrebu, dadlau a thrafod; mae potiau wedi bod yn ganolog i’r sgyrsiau a luniodd ein cymdeithas bresennol. Mae fy amser yn yr Unol Daleithiau wedi'i neilltuo i ddeall yn well sut mae potiau swyddogaethol eu hunain yn cyfathrebu. Trwy ddefnyddio iaith lafar i ddadadeiladu ymatebion greddfol ac emosiynol i'r gwrthrychau rwy'n eu gwneud, rwy'n datblygu ymwybyddiaeth uwch o'm dewisiadau creadigol.

Cafodd y potiau oedd yn cael eu harddangos eu tanio mewn odyn twnnel o’r enw ‘odyn trên’. Gyda phren fel yr unig ffynhonnell tanwydd, mae'r darnau hyn yn arddangos potensial trawsnewidiol tân i greu effeithiau arwyneb cyfoethog ac enigmatig. Mae proses hir y tanio hwn yn golygu bod tri neu bedwar ohonom yn gweithio shifftiau chwe awr, ddydd a nos am tua dau ddiwrnod a hanner. Mae'r detholiad hwn o waith yn dechrau dal rhywfaint o gynhesrwydd y profiad cymunedol a rennir hwn.

Bywgraffiad

Graddiodd Elin Hughes gyda gradd BA (Anrh) Serameg o Ysgol Gelf a Dylunio Caerdydd yn 2019. Yr un flwyddyn, roedd ar restr fer Gwobr Celf Meistr Ifanc Oriel Cynthia Corbett. Ers hynny mae Elin wedi dangos gwaith mewn nifer o arddangosfeydd ar draws y DU gan gynnwys yn Liberty London, Ffair Gelf Llundain a’i sioe unigol gyntaf yn Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw ‘Ar Ddaear Gofod Bach’. Derbyniodd Ysgoloriaeth Artist Ifanc Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru yn 2022 ac ym mis Chwefror 2023 symudodd i Illinois, UDA i ddechrau prentisiaeth 18 mis gyda’r crochenydd tanio coed Simon Levin.


Originally from Dolgellau, Gwynedd, I am currently taking part in an 18-month apprenticeship with wood-firing potter Simon Levin in Pawnee, Illinois, US. This collection of vessels documents evolving work from my time at Mill Creek Pottery.

Eating and drinking are historically the core of most social gatherings. These activities facilitate communication, debate and discussion; pots have been central to the conversations that shaped our present society. My time in the States is devoted to better understanding how functional pots themselves communicate. By using spoken language to deconstruct instinctive and emotive reactions to the objects I am making, I am evolving a heightened awareness of my creative choices.

The pots on display were fired in a tunnel kiln called a ‘train kiln’. With wood as the sole source of fuel, these pieces showcase the transformational potential of fire to create rich and enigmatic surface effects. The lengthy process of this firing involves three to four of us working six hour shifts, day and night for approximately two and a half days. This selection of work begins to capture some of the warmth of this shared communal experience.


Biography

Elin Hughes graduated from the BA (Hons) Ceramics degree at Cardiff School of Art and Design in 2019. The same year, she was shortlisted for the Cynthia Corbett Gallery’s Young Masters Art Prize. Since then Elin has shown work in multiple exhibitions across the UK including at Liberty London, London Art Fair and her first solo show at Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw ‘Ar Ddaear Gofod Bach/On Earth a Little Space’. She was recipient of the National Eisteddfod of Wales’ Young Artist Scholarship in 2022 and in February 2023 moved to Illinois, US to begin an 18-month apprenticeship with wood-firing potter Simon Levin.