Elizabeth Prince and the Beauty of Imperfect Art

Elizabeth Prince has long been drawn to clay. While working in interior design, she often found herself turning back to her childhood love of ceramics as a way to tune out the noise of the outside world and quiet her mind. As Elizabeth made her way back to the kiln, she discovered new ways to bring beauty into the spaces we spend our time. Inspired by the nature around her in England, Elizabeth creates handmade pieces that are detailed yet imperfect and celebrate the connection that comes from bringing a little piece of nature indoors. She spoke with FLOWER, giving us a glimpse into her work, her creative process, and why handmade art feels especially meaningful today.  

FLOWER: What first sparked your interest in art and ceramics?   

Elizabeth Prince: I’ve always been creative. When I was a little girl, I used to make things with air-dry clay, and I remember being sort of devastated that they wouldn’t last. And then my mom explained to me what a kiln was. I later studied sculpture and  started working with clay as a hobby. There’s that seed of childhood injustice that’s now been rectified. I was an interior designer for a while, too. But I always loved clay. 

FLOWER: You started your career in interior design. What led you to make the transition to ceramics?    

When I was an interior designer, I would often be looking at the objects that were in the rooms or in the magazines. I was always interested in the objects, especially the things made of clay. In my spare time, I was going to studios and working with clay as a hobby. Then, I decided I’d travel for a while and just take a little break from work. When I returned, I thought I’d see if I could sell a couple of things I made online. Luckily, it worked out very well! I kept selling more and more, and here we are.  

FLOWER: Yes, it’s worked out well! We’ve noticed a lot of your work seems to be inspired by nature. Tell us about your creative process and what inspires you.  

I’m very interested in nature and plants. I feel like there’s this disconnect in today’s modern time, especially if you live in the city—you can feel a bit removed from nature. Perhaps this is a way to bring nature back into people’s homes and spaces, or at least a little bit of that feeling. I sketch a lot and sort of make lots of little things as I’m going along. I have what I call a sketch box, which is just a lot of little pieces of things. I’m always surrounded by things I’m working on. I’ll come back to pieces with fresh eyes and let them evolve. Sometimes I come back to things that I haven’t worked on in years. My design process is like a looping game rather than a straight line. A lot of my work is repetition and rhythm. I think about how different pieces can affect how you feel, like whether something is soothing or calming. Part of the design process as a ceramicist is digital now as well. There’s a mix of old and new in my process. Many of my techniques seem ancient because everything is made by hand rather than machine.  A lot of the tools I use I made myself, and I often work using my hands and knives to carve things out. But at the same time, some aspects of my work are very modern. Since I arrange and design pieces for particular spaces, I scale things out and arrange the work digitally. It really helps my clients because they have a clear understanding of what they’re going to receive. So, there’s a balance of modern and traditional methods.

FLOWER: It sounds like you really do a lot! Your floral wreath is what first caught our attention at FLOWER. Tell us about the inspiration behind it.    

I live in the Lake District in the UK, which is a national park. Smetimes there will be an abundance of tiny different flowers everywhere. I tried to capture that abundance, those different shapes, and some of the flowers I see around the park. I would say it’s a more intimate, delicate piece compared to my broader installations. It was more complex to make and took a very, very long time. But it was inspired by nature that is near me. Nature is incredibly intricate. It’s so vast and diverse, and I love that. It’s inspired by all the different things I see and how so many different pieces can come together to create one big, beautiful thing, especially in a piece like this wreath.  

FLOWER: What a special place to live and get inspiration! When it comes to collecting art or decorating a space, there are so many areas to choose from. What makes ceramics special? 

There are a lot of different reasons. Depending on how they’re finished, ceramic pieces can be very durable. They also can be very flexible and adaptable to a space. For example, a canvas or a painting might look a little lost depending on the size of your room. But ceramics can truly be tailored to your area, whether that’s a commercial space or a domestic space. And there are so many different ways to fill up a room with these pieces. In addition, ceramics can feel kind of earthy and authentic. We all probably played with molding clay as children, so there’s something familiar and comforting about it. It’s tactile and has texture and dimensions. It can be delicate or have a unique sculptural feel. There’s a lot to do with handmade ceramics. 

FLOWER: You’re an artist of many trades, but you seem to be happiest with ceramics. Any new or upcoming pieces you can share with us? 

There’s so much in the studio at the moment!  I’ve been working on some pieces that have a little more detail, as well as certain ones with gold that feel very luxurious and are so interesting to work with. And there are some other new colors we’re experimenting with as well, which is quite fun.  

FLOWER:  What do you hope people feel when they encounter your art?

With AI being more prevalent, it’s nice to have something handmade. We’re actually seeing some of the bigger design houses emphasize handmade things at the moment. Perhaps, that’s what luxury is now. In terms of what I want them to feel, I hope people feel some sort of connection. In our everyday lives, we’re confronted with many things we don’t like. But if we can make our own spaces better and calmer, and a place we can connect with, wouldn’t we want that? I can’t control what people encounter or what they feel, but to help someone create a peaceful place in the middle of a crazy world is a privilege. 

See more from Elizabeth Prince by following along on her Instagram and perusing her website, elizabethprinceceramics.com.