When Emma was invited to create 366 hares to go on display at Nunnington Hall to celebrate the Leap Year in 2020, she wanted to use the opportunity to show off her skills beyond the woven wire sculptures for which she's best known. She had long wanted to work in ceramics, and turned for help to her friend, Ugglebarnby ceramicist Jean Cunion, who generously opened up her studio to Emma and taught her how to prepare and sculpt the clay. The result was 60 of the 366 Leaping Hares exhibition, which can be seen at the National Trust property near Helmsley until 20 December 2020.
Emma starts, as she does with all of her pieces, by sketching the animal she wants to create. She then recreates her vision in stoneware clay which she models, applies slip to and fires to 1010°C. The pieces are then decorated using underglaze colours and glazes, and, finally, fired again to 1215°C.
