Helena Lacy Clay

Helena Lacy is a ceramic artist who lives and works in London. She graduated from Wimbledon College of Art, with a degree in Technical Arts and Special Effects.

Known for her tactile hand-built sculptures and vases, Helena takes inspiration from the natural world. Her work reflects the textures and colours found in organic objects. Even down to the clay mixes she creates, she wants to celebrate clay and its origin.

The female body and nature have always been the main themes in her work and sensation is at the centre of it. The way a sculpture feels in your hands is very important to her and she uses shape, texture and repetition to achieve this. She wants her work to be touched and be pleasing to hold. Her practice lends a playful approach to ceramics - learning with our hands, interacting and discovering.

Helena has created a collection called fingō, a series of sculptures and vases based on the female body. Aspects of the body that are traditionally feminine (such as curves) are reassembled to create an abstract expression of the female form. 

The fingō vases push clay to its limits - the top-heavy pieces balance on a base as small as can be achieved at this size of sculpture. This evokes a sense of jeopardy when looking at the vase, highlighting its delicate nature in its balance and proportions, and giving it its striking quality. 

She creates her work from her studio in Shepherds Bush, West London.