Ewen Henderson was born in Staffordshire. He became interested in painting and sculpture whilst working for a timber company in South Wales. In the late sixties he studied ceramics at Camberwell College of Arts whilst Hans Coper and Lucie Rie were teaching there. After graduating Henderson lived and worked in London, and held teaching posts at several art schools, including Camberwell and Goldsmiths. He had numerous exhibitions both in the UK and overseas; in 1988 was awarded the Crafts Council Stuttgart Prize. Henderson’s chief interest was in the medium: clay, and in particular paper clay, which he first used as a filler and which later became integral to his work. Meshed and moulded, torn and twisted these materials cling together by vitrification in the kiln, the colours rising to the surface; described as ‘high fired monoprints’ by the writer Michael Robinson. The analogy with a fine art practice is apt, just as a monoprint can only be pulled once so it was with Henderson’s ‘pots’; the unpredictability of the firing makes each work truly unique.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/oct/09/guardianobituaries

Glossary

  • Ceramics

    Clay based products produced from non-metallic material and fired at high temperature. The term covers all objects made of fired clay, including earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and terra cotta.

  • Painting

    Work of art made with paint on a surface. Often the surface, also called a support, is a tightly stretched piece of canvas, paper or a wooden panel. Painting involves a wide range of techniques and materials, along with the artist's intellectual concerns effecting the content of a work.

  • Sculpture

    A three-dimensional work of art. Such works may be carved, modelled, constructed, or cast. Sculptures can also be described as assemblage, in the round, relief, and made in a huge variety of media. Contemporary practice also includes live elements, as in Gilbert & George 'Living Sculpture' as well as broadcast work, radio or sound sculpture.