CELEBRATING BRITAIN
Meet three women who are making a living from their creative passions
Perfect porcelain
As a child, Sophie, who was born in Greenwich, London, made sculptures from wire and modelling clay. This interest led to her studying for a degree in ceramics at London’s Camberwell College of Arts, where she produced hand-built bottles for her final-year show. She then started throwing with porcelain and, with support from the Designers Guild, she bought a kiln, took studio space and sold her work in its King’s Road shop.
Sophie moved to Suffolk in 2015, where she lives with her partner Matt, 51, and their three boys, Finn, 16, Gabriel, 14, and Kit, 11.
‘Initially I worked with just the original bottle shape in a range of matt turquoises, but then added other colours and finishes, as well as teardrop and pod shapes,’ says Sophie. ‘Porcelain is a delicate material to work with, and of the four pieces I throw a day, some don’t actually survive the carving and firing process.’
Drawing on the Suffolk landscape for inspiration, Sophie has recently developed a new range of colours, ranging from umber to deepest navy.
Her work can be found in homes all over the world, including Sir Elton John’s. Some pieces are also on display at the Museum of the Home in Hoxton, London, and Manchester City Galleries.
✱To find out more, visit sophiecook.com
Stunning stained glass
Born in Northamptonshire and raised in Berkshire, Flora took a media studies degree at Sussex University. On graduating, she worked in creative and photographic studios and, intrigued by a book she found, took an evening class in stained glass. She loved it so much that she signed up for a course at Kensington &Chelsea College.
ALondon-based stainedglass studio offered her work experience, which grew into a full-time job. Three years later, she moved to Bridport with fellow artist Mike, 59. They now have two daughters, Nelly, 20, and Isla, 16.
After a brisk sea swim each day, Flora works on commissions in her home studio, ranging from contemporary pieces using bold colours and graphic shapes to more detailed, Victorian-style painted glass.
She is inspired by artists from the Arts &Crafts Movement, vintage botanical books, and the flora and fauna that surround her.
‘I like to capture fleeting moments in nature knowing that they will be portrayed in stained glass that will last for hundreds of years,’ she says.
✱Go to floraja
