Regina Heinz originally trained as a painter at the academy of fine arts in Vienna. She then studied at the School of Applied Arts in Geneva from 1988-89 and at London Guildhall University from 1989-93. She was awarded a Post-graduate Diploma by Goldsmith’s College, London, in 1991 and an MA in Sculpture by the Wimbledon School of Art in 1995. She has been a member of the * Craft Potters Association since 1998. Regina makes hand-built, abstract sculpture, reliefs and wall pieces decorated with colored glazes, *slips and oxides. She cites as her inspiration the mountainous landscapes of her home country Austria.

Artist's Statement

Regina Heinz specialises in hand built ceramic art. Exploring the malleability of wet clay, Regina has developed a special slab building technique to create free standing ceramic sculptures and relief pieces for wall hanging.

Slabs are rolled out and then "tailored": joined, pushed, folded, stretched and incised until the piece has taken on it's final shape and expression, yet the material has retained it's original softness and surface texture. This technique is paramount to Regina's work and requires spontaneity and control as the soft slabs react to every touch and record every imprint of the hand.

Originally trained in fine arts, painting still plays an important part in the creation process. Vibrant primary colours are applied over a base of neutral greys and whites to enhance the underlying form. A Lithium glaze, slips, oxides and stains are brushed on in thin layers and multiple firings add depth and intensity to the coloured surface.

Regina takes her inspiration from landscapes and surface details to create pieces that are abstract but display an organic and sensual quality, reminiscent of the undulating "landscape" of the body. Geometry, grid patterns and repetition are used as a starting point and combined with organic curves, softened and transformed by the tactile quality of clay. The forms communicate volume and inner space and have a powerful physical presence, gently distended, containing and being contained. They are tender abstracts of body and mind. More info.

Source: CeramicsToday