I’m still reeling from my trip to Morocco and the art retreat in Fes, so much inspiration! Morocco is well known for the tiled mosaics that decorate the facades of buildings and we went to a pottery and saw the creating processes whilst in town - still the same processes as centuries ago. This week’s Coloricombo artist was known for his beautiful stylised ceramics and tiles at the turn of the 19th century. I saw his work at Leighton House on a visit there in March with friends. If you’re in London, I can recommend a visit.
William De Morgan (1839-1917) was a mathematician, stained glass designer, a ceramicist and a writer. A leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, his popular tiles and ceramics are probably the most recognisable decorative arts of the late Victorian period. The movement favoured handmade items over those produced in larger factories and strived to create homeware that was both functional and beautiful. His decorative fireplace surrounds and other ceramics were seen in many domestic interiors and public spaces throughout England.
Born in London to parents from a French Huguenot line, his family was well-to-do, involved in the arts and society. His father was a mathematician and his mother a novelist and activist, focussed on prison reform. De Morgan initially studied mathematics where he had several works published, but his passion was ceramics and the pursuit of a perfect lustre glaze. He enrolled at the Royal Academy before dropping out, starting his career as a designer of stained glass windows.
In 1872 he set up a studio at his home in Chelsea where he where he started producing his distinctive ceramics, characterised by intricate designs, vibrant colours and a fusion of Eastern and Western influences.
After a fire, he moved his studio to Wimbledon and then to larger premises in Fulham where he expanded production and experimented with glazes, recreating the intense blues and greens used in Majolica wares. These techniques were adapted to his own designs and his tiles were immediately recognisable for their complex lustres and deep, intense underglaze painting.
In 1887 he married Evelyn Pickering, the famous Pre-Raphaelite painter. Throughout his career, De Morgan's tiles and ceramics gained acclaim for their quality and innovative designs. His inspirations came from a multitude of sources including Persian and Islamic art and medieval European motifs. Pieces often featured fantastical creatures, floral patterns, and intricate geometric designs, all hand painted.
In 1907 William De Morgan retired from the pottery works and continued life as a successful novelist. His ceramics are still very popular with collectors feature in museums worldwide.
Take a look at the De Morgan Collection at Leighton House here and watch a video about William and Evelyn De Morgan here. Reproduction tiles are still available, here’s one source showing an incredible range.
“Flowering Foliage Panels”, Polychrome wash on paper, William De Morgan, late 1800s.
Colour Combination
The colours for this weeks prompt are Sage Green, Soft Blue, Deep Lavender and Buff. Use the #coloricombo colours along with any neutral light and dark colour to create an artwork in any medium and style.
Coloricombo prompts are released once a week on a Monday, and this year I also link each month with a theme. To coincide with Floral Fusion, May’s theme is "Plants". If you like you can use this as topic, or create in any way as you wish, using the colours in any medium and style.
I love to see what you do with the coloricombo colours. If you'd like to share your work, please tag #coloricombo and #estemacleod on social media. You're also welcome to post in the private Facebook group Creative Prompts
Colour Mixing
I tried mixing this weeks colours using QoR colours.
Artwork
I then used the colours to create a quick artwork based on the words Make time to play which is available for everyone to view.