Hitomi Hosono

Ceramics - Shortlisted 2011

Hosono’s exquisitely delicate and detailed sculptures began when she sculpted a simple leaf from the garden and found herself drawn into its intricacy.

Originally from Japan, she won scholarships to Denmark and London where she was given the opportunity to work with Wedgwood as part of her MA degree project. Her current body of work is inspired by Wedgwood’s 200-year-old Jasperware sprigging technique, which the firm invited her to update into a more contemporary approach.

“Afterwards I continued to develop this technique, making complex constructions in porcelain. I was keen to find the essence of what made leaves and flowers beautiful and to use the natural beauty of plants to create ceramic objects that combine dramatic form and movement with sensitivity and refined details.”

For her sculptural pieces Hosono patiently moulds hundreds of leaf sprigs in porcelain and then carefully carves in the finer details. These are then applied layer on layer on to a previously thrown shape, each piece taking around four weeks to complete. She is undaunted by her exacting approach, “I feel that the potential scope of my work using these techniques is as wide and exciting as nature itself”.

Among the prestigious list of clients who have commissioned Hosono’s work are Adrian Sassoon, Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, Royal Crown Derby, Stella McCartney and the Royal College of Art.