AUDE VAN RYN

Belgian illustrator and ceramicist creates handmade prints, tableware, figurines and sculptures. She has developed a vibrant, abstract aesthetic, incorporating dots, lines and geometric shapes, alongside brightly coloured plants, flowers and birds. Aude moved to London aged 21 to study illustration at Central Saint Martins. She went on to study at the Royal College of Art and has created distinctive illustrations for publications such as The Guardian and The New Yorker. Aude worked as an illustrator for 20 years, and its her fondness for Dutch and Swiss graphic design – pared-down visuals with a strong sense of colour and composition – that has left a lasting imprint on her work as a ceramic artist. She takes inspiration from Guidette Carbonnel, Pablo Picasso and Marimekko textiles, enjoying shape making, as well as mid-20th century artists such as Arp, Brancusi, Picasso and Calder.

"I also greatly admire ancient West African sculptures and artifacts. More recently I’ve been inspired by the work of Ruth Duckworth, Richard Deacon, Johannes Nagel, Natalie Du Pasquier and Nao Matsunaga."

Aude uses sgraffito techniques and her fingertips to create unique surface illustrations 'spontaneity I use drawings for inspiration, but often find the sculpture comes to life in an intuitive and spontaneous way. mainly decorative and I primarily use terracotta for its richness of colour, both glazed and unglazed. Shapes are created using various tools or an extruder'

Process