Artist in residence: The story of Hitomi Hosono and Wedgwood

The Wedgwood Artist in Residence programme celebrates Wedgwood’s renowned heritage of innovation, craftsmanship and honing creative talent, dating back to 1759.

The latest artist to join the residency is the incredibly talented Japanese Ceramicist, Hitomi Hosono. Hitomi grew up in an area that she describes as ‘the Stoke-on-Trent of Japan’, surrounded by potteries. Her grandfather was a plasterer and ceramicist, so she remembers being surrounded by tiles and ceramics since she was a child.

After studying traditional ornamental pottery at art college in Japan, Hitomi studied in Denmark and then secured a place at the Royal College of Art in London for her Master of Arts degree. While studying there in 2008, Hitomi spent 6 weeks at the Wedgwood factory as an intern, and the rest is history.
The magical journey began with Hitomi working alongside the Wedgwood designers and factory artisans to reimagine Wedgwood’s iconic Jasperware. Hitomi said “I was inspired by the original Wedgwood sprigs that were informed by nature. I went into the Wedgwood archives, which is a bit like entering Wedgwood’s brain, and felt the history there. I love the idea of using a motif designed over 100 years ago.”
The pieces from the collection have great intricate detail using skilled and time-consuming techniques such as piercing, ornamentation, turning and moulding. For example, it takes one of Wedgwood’s Artisans two days to apply 1,150 individually crafted daisies to the Kasumi Vase.
The Shoka Vase, Kasumi Vase, Haruka Bowl, Shuno Box, Touka Vase and set of 3 Sansai Objects from the Wedgwood by Hitomi Hosono collection are represented by Adrian Sassoon, the UK's leading dealer in Contemporary Works of Art.