Crafts Council Collections Online
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Makers
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Maker
Paul Astbury
Brief biography
Paul Astbury was born in 1945 and raised in Oakhanger, Cheshire. Encouraged to draw by his mother from a young age, he joined the Burslem College of Art School in 1963 for a pre-diploma course in drawing and painting. It was here, following a chance lunchtime encounter with a tutor, Astbury first discovered slip-cast clay, a medium he soon began to experiment with in his free time. In 1965, he was invited to join the BA program in Stoke-On-Trent, intending at first to study Fine Art in Painting, before choosing Ceramics. He quickly established himself, using fine art sensibilities combined with an innovative approach to clay, which earned him a place at The Royal College of Art in 1969.
In the final year of his studies, sci-fi began to influence his work. He used press-molds and sandblasted them in the glass department to create smooth, otherworldly objects. This work developed into the series called Synthetic Strata which was produced throughout the 1970s, a selection of which can be found in the Crafts Council collection. In the 1980s his influences turned to particle physics which provided the conceptual basis for his work. He worked with a range of mediums, from clothing, cardboard, organic materials, found objects, paper and clay. His work in the 1990s turned more towards the use of unfired clay, harnessing moisture and atmospheric conditions to raise questions of time, distance and perception. His work is ever-developing and challenging conventions to this day.
Paul Astbury is exhibited extensively, in the UK, Europe, USA and Japan, and is collected worldwide.
In the final year of his studies, sci-fi began to influence his work. He used press-molds and sandblasted them in the glass department to create smooth, otherworldly objects. This work developed into the series called Synthetic Strata which was produced throughout the 1970s, a selection of which can be found in the Crafts Council collection. In the 1980s his influences turned to particle physics which provided the conceptual basis for his work. He worked with a range of mediums, from clothing, cardboard, organic materials, found objects, paper and clay. His work in the 1990s turned more towards the use of unfired clay, harnessing moisture and atmospheric conditions to raise questions of time, distance and perception. His work is ever-developing and challenging conventions to this day.
Paul Astbury is exhibited extensively, in the UK, Europe, USA and Japan, and is collected worldwide.
