Lara Scobie studied at the Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts in London, graduating with Honours, and the Edinburgh College of Art, where she completed a postgraduate course. She currently lives and works in Edinburgh. She has been a lecturer at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art since 1994.
Lara’s recent work explores the dynamics of simple, clear form along with the interplay of pattern, drawing, and mark-making on a three-dimensional plane. She says that from the moment a fresh bag of clay is opened her imagination is triggered by the sensory pleasure of its smooth texture and the anticipatory thrill of potential. Working with clay is as exciting and terrifying as a roller coaster ride, presenting as many challenges as rewards. To understand this soft malleable material – really just a lump of wet earth – takes time, but with considered handling and measured judgement it can be manipulated into dynamic and expressive form. She creates her work using a slip cast method, pouring liquid clay into plaster moulds which she then individually shapes before applying her intricate patterns and drawings on the surface. Lara uses Parian ware, a type of bisque porcelain that imitates the texture and look of marble, in her work.
Lara emphasises that it is the balance between composition and form, absence and presence, that offers some of the most exciting opportunities for expressing her creative voice. She describes the space between pragmatic considerations and artistic intent – where technique, material, and creative insight meet – as the driving force behind her work. Her pieces are featured in numerous permanent collections including Kansas State University’s Beaches Museum, Museum of Auckland, Paisley Museum, The Shipley Museum & Art Gallery, and the Triennale de Porcelaine.
