Introducing: Rachel Peters

My process usually begins with a loose sketch, just enough to give me a sense of the form, but I allow the piece to evolve organically as I build. Using heavily grogged stoneware clay, I hand build each sculpture using the coiling technique, using rubber kidneys to compress and blend the coils as I work.  Once the piece is leather hard, I refine the surface with metal kidneys.  The textural surfaces emerge through the clay itself and my interaction with it, retaining a tactile, raw quality, whilst still being intentional and carefully resolved.

Alongside my appreciation for Danish design, I find inspiration in the work of sculptors like Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, their ability to create forms that feel both monumental and deeply human really resonates with me. I’m drawn to organic shapes and natural rhythms, but also to the emotional possibilities held within form. People often tell me they see feeling, or even humour in my work, and that’s something I value.

I’m interested in strength expressed through softness, and the female form gives me a way to explore that. Many of my sculptures carry echoes of the body, but not always in a literal way, they are more about gesture, curve, and energy. These abstract forms let me express emotion, resilience, and sometimes even a quiet sense of humour. I love that people respond in personal ways, often recognising feeling in the work that I never set out to define too precisely.

Living in South Africa gave me a renewed sense of creativity, shaped by the beauty and vibrancy of the place. Surrounded by natural beauty and a culture rich in making, something that had been quiet in me began to reawaken. It wasn’t until I returned to the UK that I began working with clay and building a regular studio practice. South Africa gave me the spark, but it was here that I found the material, the process, and the focus to really begin. My work now holds echoes of both places: the raw energy I felt there, and the grounding and focus I’ve found here.

I’m working on pushing the scale of my pieces, which is always a balancing act when you have a small studio and a kiln that insists on setting boundaries. There’s something satisfying about testing those physical limits while staying true to the essence of the work. I’m also starting to explore sculpture for outdoor spaces, and it is opening up some exciting new possibilities.