INGRID SAAG
Ingrid Saag makes hand painted decorative and functional white earthenware ceramics. Designs are either one-offs or produced in small editions, and painted with abstract or figurative images. There are several sources of inspiration for her work. The natural world has always been a favourite subject. Her regular walks in Isabella Plantation, a garden in Richmond Park with its woodland streams, water plants and florescent rhododendrons and azaleas, inspired the designs for the Isabella series of vases. She never tires of portraying the female form, which she often uses when she explores themes of romance, love, lust, and other human emotions and feelings through poetry and other written material.
Another favourite subject has been the use of simple abstract patterns, such as checks or stripes, a perfect way to indulge in my exploration of and play with colour. This developed from her habit of testing every new material in different ways and combinations on test tiles. Some of her test tiles are like mini abstract paintings, which act as inspiration for future work.
Ingrid was born and grew up in Georgetown, Guyana. From 1970 to 74 she attended Hornsey College of Art and Brighton Polytechnic (now Brighton University), attaining a Diploma in Art and Design. This led to a busy career for some 20 years as a freelance illustrator.
From 1985, in her spare time from her illustration practice and bringing up her young son, Ingrid began to develop skills with clay, studying under established figures in the pottery field.
In 1998 Ingrid took a break from ceramics for five years to study and practise complementary health therapies. In 2003 she returned to ceramics, enrolling at South Thames College to refresh and further her skills. She achieved a BTEC Professional Development in Ceramics qualification a year later.
