No ifs, ands, or buts about it: An Alma Berrow still-life sculpture grabs your attention, makes you smile, enables you to see the mundane detritus of everyday life in a new way.

Who’d have ever imagined that ashtrays and cigarette butts could be so intriguing? Or that whatever is left over or left behind, when immortalized in ceramics, is strong enough to have its own thought-provoking narrative? Thanks to Berrow’s creations, inconsequential items we ordinarily dismiss — pistachio shells, note scraps, coins, even moldy lemons — demand we take a second look.

Based in London, Berrow (b. 1992) initially studied Fashion and Textiles at Falmouth University, then spent the next ten years or so working in various creative industries (Pastry Chef, Artist Assistant, Creative Youth Worker, Hospitality). It wasn’t until the 2020 lockdown, when she relocated to Dorset, that she began experimenting with ceramics in her mother’s studio. Her first pieces included small boxes with little body parts on them, a lighter and matches, and of course, cigarette stubs (the ashtrays came later).

There was something empowering and liberating about being able to make anything at all with clay and serving her own creative needs rather than that of others. The idea of sculptures in a traditional sense terrified her and filled her with ideas of grandeur, adding, “I always want elements of my work to be humorous and playful. I think that’s why I make everyday objects that almost camouflage into their environment.”

Why cigarettes? “They’re nostalgic, cool, sexy – all these things that they’re not supposed to be. Smoking is not cool or sexy or clever but somehow it’s all those things. Disclaimer, I’m not trying to promote smoking through my work.”

Interestingly enough, her first creative stirrings began in childhood with a favorite book, Beatrix Potter’s A Tale of Two Bad Mice. “I dreamt of living in a doll’s house for a day and being surrounded by ceramic food and fake real objects, maybe that’s what I’m subconsciously trying to make a reality!” 

About her process, she says:

It’s such a fun process, starting with something squidgy and just making whatever the hell you like out of it. Everything is handmade with Earthenware clay, fired until bisque at 1100 degrees then hand painted with fine powdered paints. I even do the glazes by hand as it’s easier to maintain the mock-reality detailing. Then I’ll fire it in the kiln again at 1250 degrees and after that I’ll apply any gold with this really fumey gold luster and fire that at 750 degrees.

She derives inspiration from eclectic sources: Japanese Yoki (a traditional form of narrative illustration depicting gods and surreal monsters), the artist Niki de Saint Phalle, even Barbara Cartland’s cookbook, The Romance of Food (“horrendous foods set up in these fantastic, decadent, gross scenes”). One of her projects involved designing an entire dinner party tablescape. Cool!

In just a few short years, Alma has become one of the most sought after ceramicists, having exhibited internationally. A favorite piece, “Ifs and Butts,” which she created for Sotheby’s Woman Show, fetched a cool £16,000 at auction.

I especially enjoy her food pieces (no surprise). Her 70’s style platters reveal what wasn’t eaten, prompting us to imagine the diner(s), the particular occasion, circumstances or locale. There are stories behind every piece — her personal story as well as the story or memory the viewer perceives in the work. Since there seems to be quite a bit of shellfish, one can surmise a degree of decadence, even excess, though bacon, eggs and oranges are quite ordinary.

Berrow’s favorite food? Cheese. Favorite books? Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet and The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm. And guess what her most treasured possessions are? Her teddy bears Bambi and Bear. 🙂

For more, visit Alma Berrow’s Website and Instagram. Contact her directly via her website to inquire about available works.

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