Cover story Elle Decoration

I was thrilled to have my ceramic vessels included in the gorgeous photoshoot for Elle Decoration UK with enormous thanks to Laura Fulmine of Modern Art Hire , photographer Ben Anders and editor Ben Spriggs in collaboration with London Newcastle.

Elle Decor Italia

It was lovely to be included in this beautiful interior by Onda Studio, photographed by Kalina Krawczyk and featured in Elle Decor Italia.

Interview with Zone One Arts

Deborah Blakeley has compiled a comprehensive catalogue of interviews with artists from around the world. Here is mine https://zoneonearts.com.au/julie-nelson/

Living Etc

I’m very thankful for more beauty from Hannah Franklin and Jake Curtis for Living Etc magazine.

Beautiful still life

A lovely image styled by Hannah Franklin and photographed by Jake Curtis for Homes and Garden magazine here in the UK, sharing space with some wonderful ceramic talent.

Weathered forms

‘Pebble and rocks show nature’s way of working stone. Smooth, sea-worn pebbles show the wearing away and the principles of asymmetry. A pebble’s shape is accidental and merely to copy would not create a sculptural form. It is what I see in them that gives them their significance’. Henry Moore

Interview with Tous magazine

Tous Mag sat with Brighton based Julie Nelson, a British ceramicist who explores the visual connections and regularities found across the natural world. Her work focuses on the elemental and she crafts in a series, often exhibiting objects in groups that both contrast and interrelate

https://www.tousmag.com/features/sculptural-objects-elemental

Julie in her studio

Interview with Studio-Ouruse

I recently enjoyed speaking with Natalie Marie Gehrels for her creative studio-ouruse.com. It has one of my favourite home pages! We bond over our love of nature and it was thought provoking to think about the creative journey for her interview. You can read it here…

https://studio-ouruse.com/digest-julie-nelson-interview-ceramics-earth/

Rhythm drawing

At the start of lockdown I found this type of drawing very therapeutic. I like to have a plain piece of paper next to the computer, and a pen!

Lockdown latest

Despite the extraordinary situation we all find ourselves in, my stockists are still open online. Please have a peek at their websites from the comfort of your home and take great care of yourselves. gardeshop , modernarthire , wilsonstephensandjones , alexmacarthur , cameroncontemporary

Spotlight in the USA

The American magazine Ceramics Monthly has provided a lovely feature of Flock Project on the Spotlight page in its March 2020 issue. They also asked some interesting questions that highlighted the balance between community and the arts.

Open studio

This first weekend in December, the studio is tidied up for visitors to come and say hello, eat stollen and ask me anything.

New vessel collection

A new collection of hand built ceramic vessels have just arrived in the sunny state of California for Garde, Los Angeles. Inspired by landscape, seeds and the mesmeric process of pattern and repetition.

Manus Monastery

I highly recommend a visit to the headquarters of this inspiring curator. I have a selection of hands currently available at Alex MacArthur Interiors.

Beautiful words

During the Flock Project exhibition at Lewisham Arthouse, we held a talk event which had an emotional moment when members of the Grounding Project spoke about their experience of the project. Here are their words and those of others which were read out to the audience.

“Making birds helps with my concentration. I feel relaxed without knowing it, while making the birds. I learned new skills and also had new experiences by visiting the museum. Although the museum was packed with people, it helped me with my mood and helped me to trust people.” 

KS

“For me it has been like therapy. Torture makes you silent, but making birds helps me to renounce my silence. Making bird’s together means we are united. We speak different languages, are form different cultures and different nations – but here we are one. We are in the same boat together. 

I love to learn new things like bird-craft and I love birds because they can fly free. As a torture survivor, we can do what we want because of this project.”

YM

“Making birds reminds me of being back home. When we were small, we made things like birds out of clay. We used to get clay from the ground and then it became soft. The programme was interesting, we were together and it taught us things we didn’t know. It was an advantage to see different kind of birds, unlike what I normally see in London. This got me excited about nature.” 

RL

“First of all to thank Julie for her hard work and introducing us to work with clay. I really found it interesting, relaxing - I really enjoyed it. Just to be able to use a piece of clay and use Julie’s instructions to make birds - and quite successfully! It was just relaxing and peaceful. Like me, and the clay, and trying to make a bird.

Birds are freedom. Like my pigeons, they would go and come back. Making those birds brings back nice memories of my birds.

It was a nice, friendly, relaxing atmosphere. Everyone was warm to Julie and each other. It was really good. She wants to bring people together and she did that here.”

NP

A unit of 200

Preparations are underway for a unique exhibition of 200 individual ceramic birds created over months with refugees and their supportive public in London at the Arthouse, New Cross. Please see Flock Project for details of the exhibition.

The Stratford in Stratford

Julie Nelson vessels have appeared in the foyer of the new hotel by the Manhatten Loft Company called https://thestratford.com. Reminiscent of large patterned pebbles, theysit amongst a glorious combination of natural materials in this new oasis in East London.

The gathering

Over the Summer months a great gathering of birds have been glazed and fired together in East London following workshops at the Grounding Project and the V & A Museum. Now to work out their formation for September.

Ever expanding Flock

Thank you to everyone who took part, helped and simply showed an interest in our Flock workshops which took part at the V & A on Sunday for the launch of Refugee Week with Counterpoints Arts. We have rapidly increased Flock numbers in one amazing day. All the birds will be exhibited together in September.