GIANT ceramic sculptures and wood cuttings will be exhibited when a Brentwood artist showcases her work.
The work of Carole Windham, of Kavanaghs Road, will be on show for 10 days at a new venue in east London from July 4.
Mrs Windham, who has one daughter and two grandchildren, lives with her husband Geoffrey, who is a therapist, and has been a ceramic artist all her life.
She also taught ceramics at Havering College for 25 years.
She has had her art displayed in many prestigious exhibitions including in Rude Britannia at London's Tate Britain.
Recalling this opportunity, she said: "It was really fantastic – the funny thing was the piece they chose was not a rude piece."
Mrs Windham grew up in Southport, Lancashire, where her art teacher inspired her to get into ceramics.
In 2000 she completed an MA at the Royal College of Art in London.
Her latest show will showcase her signature work of ceramics and also woodcuts.
"A couple of years ago I decided to break out and created some woodcuts," she said.
"It was the same time that I retired from teaching at the college which was last July.
"I was interested because it's a three-dimensional process.
"I am known for my ceramics though – when I started in the 1960s ceramic sculpture hadn't taken off and people mostly made pottery.
"I became a sculptor and pushed the boundaries of ceramics, as that's what I'm interested in.
"Most of the work in this exhibition is large-scale sculpture taken from teapots and jugs.
"From the '60s I was a pop artist so they are blown up – giant.
"What I'm interested in is the Staffordshire potters who worked in the 1950s and '60s.
"They made Noddy teapots and homemaker teapots and I've made blown up versions which are three feet high and very heavy."
Speaking of her one-woman exhibition she said: "It is a solo show with a lot on display at a new venue, which is a mill.
"The renovated part has been made into a gallery on two floors where I will be showing quite a number of pieces – I do figurative work on a large scale.
"People are welcome to come and everything's for sale, but no one is under any pressure to buy."
Mrs Windham moved to Brentwood in 1997 and works in a studio at the bottom of her garden.
She explained what it is she enjoys about ceramics: "There is a lot of variety – I'm making, decorating, packing kilns, firing kilns or glazing.
"You have to be pretty strong to do it."
She added that the process of moving the work is very stressful for fear of her items being damaged.
"I get nightmares the night before they are moved, and it is very traumatic difficult task," she said.
Another exhibition coming up for Mrs Windham is Victoriana: The Art of Revival at the Guild Hall Art Gallery in London from September 7 to December 8.
She will also be displaying her work at Subversive Design at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from October 12 until March 9 next year.
Her one woman show, Woodcuts and Ceramics, will take place from 11am until 4:30pm and will be closed on Mondays.
Private viewings are available on Thursday, July 4 from 6 until 9pm.
The House Mill Gallery is located on Three Mill Lane, Bromley-By-Bow, London E3 3DU.
To see more of Mrs Windham's art visit her website at www.carolewindham.com or for more information e-mail her at carole.windham@virgin.net
