Originally from Prague, Ilona Sulikova is now based in York where she produces her distinctive, round-bodied vessels. The bold forms are built using a coil technique she developed whilst working with potters in Sudan and Somalia. She enjoys the ‘quiet process of hand building’ for the control it allows.
Ilona’s intricate geometric repeating patterns are painted onto the vessels with dry copper glaze, before being raku fired. The raku process allows her to be very close to the firing process. Once heated to 1000 degrees, the vases are transferred from the kiln with tongs to a bin of sawdust which burns and causes a chemical reaction with the glaze.
Through this process, Ilona creates dynamic sequences of rhythm and movement, through playing with the changing scale of the intricately applied motifs. This combination brings form and pattern into harmonious play.
