Renowned for his loosely thrown monochromatic work, Dylan Bowen is a well-established slipware potter. Having trained at the Shebbear Pottery in north Devon and Camberwell School of Art in London, Dylan and his partner Jane Bowen, who is also a potter, now work from their studio in Oxford. For Dylan, the making and decorating process blend together so that the spontaneity and energy invested in the creative process are embodied in the finished piece.

Dylan’s wheel thrown and hand-built works are a balance between traditional painting and ceramics. Inspired by music and abstract expressionism, he pours, trails and brushes slip – a liquid form of clay – onto his pieces. Each bottle is created using a combination of wheel thrown and hand-built elements. Dylan prefers to simplify his approach to applying slip and focus on gestural mark-making.

“I sometimes wonder what skills I have acquired. I suppose the main skill I am working on is knowing when to leave things alone. I am more interested in what I can get away with, testing the amount of skill and knowledge needed in order to get what I want. And if it falls apart, does that matter? It could be great! However, slipware is both very simple and very sensitive. Things go wrong and if I am too casual, it can fall apart in a way I don’t like. I suppose negotiating this is another thing I am working on”