Made with a Bailey Interview featuring Rebecca Manson

Made with a Bailey Interview featuring Rebecca Manson

Your nature inspired sculptures are larger than life. Can you tell us about your process of construction?

I use ceramics in combination with a wide range of other materials to explore forms that would simply be too risky in ceramics alone. I don’t want to be limited by materials and I find that thinking across various media helps me to feel more free in my hand building process because I can enhance the structure of the work later. 

Which Bailey equipment do you use and how?

I have a Bailey electric oval kiln, that was my first kiln. I bought it in 2013. Last summer I added a second kiln, a Bailey gas kiln that I bought second hand. I think it was made in the 90s. Bailey made me a new custom burner system for it and I got it new shelving and I love it! I can make bigger and more experimental work in this kiln as I don’t have to worry about protecting elements. Soft brick is such an incredible material. Last summer I bought a work table from Bailey and a ware cart. My most recent Bailey acquisition was two glaze tables. I could have cried when they arrived. It has taken almost a decade but my studio feels like its finally starting to come together! 

What are some of the consistent themes or questions that you explore in your work?

Posture is a big one. I want my work to resonate with people on an emotional level. It’s about how we carry our emotions and experiences in our bodies. a sunflower’s head getting too heavy for its hanging neck… that’s something we’ve all felt at times. 

Tell us about your favorite medium.

I don't know if I can pick a true favorite but ceramics is the original for me. It’s part of my DNA. I started taking ceramics classes when I was eight years old and I was obsessed. I’ve just always had to do it. I think the thing I’m truly hooked on is the way the material transforms. The cycles of suspense between kiln firings is undeniable. I love that there is no mastering of this material, or rather, family of materials, there’s no end point. There are infinite possibilities. Ceramics keeps me on my toes.