Rosie McLachlan (b. 1982) received her MFA from Newcastle University, and a BA in Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, during which time she also studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London. Her work has been exhibited by Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (UK), Arusha Gallery (UK) and Cavin Morris Gallery (New York), amongst others.
McLachlan uses clay, which she digs from rivers and moorlands, to consider elemental forces such as death, regeneration and the natural world. Her work is informed by an ongoing study of archaeology, comparative mythology, folklore and thanatology.
McLachlan’s ceramic works are wood fired over 4 days and nights in an anagama kiln, an ancient type of pottery kiln brought to Japan from China via Korea in the 5th century. The long firing process is a devotional act, and the resulting sculptural works, transformed by heat, flame and ash accretions, have an elemental, totem-like quality.
