Christine Ruff

Ceramicist

©Sala Seddiki

©Inga Schnebel

©Sala Seddiki

The art of self-expression

Christine creates unique ceramic vessels
She focuses on form before function
Her sources of inspiration are found everywhere

At the age of 17 Christine Ruff started an apprenticeship as a ceramics painter for underglaze painting in a company with about 300 employees doing piece-work. She recalls, “It was clear to me that I didn't want to grow old there”. Therefore, she continued her education at the renowned technical school for ceramic design in Höhr Grenzhausen: “It allowed me to understand the fundamentals of ceramics, both in theory and in practice, it was a very creative time”. At the end of the 1990s Christine joined the studio of sculptor Tony Cragg in Wuppertal. “During these years I was able to enhance my sensitivity for forms and I came into contact with many new materials”. The traces of that time can still be found in the sculptural expression and functional structure that still characterizes Christine's work today.

Interview

©Inga Schnebel

©Inga Schnebel

How do function and expression relate in your works?: My works have a strong sculptural character. It is not the function that is emphasised, but the form of the object. All my vessels are glazed and fired, so they are waterproof and they can be used as vases or bowls, but the sculptural expression is in the foreground.
What inspires you?: Nature, of course, produces the most impressive, clearest forms, patterns and structures. But it can also be the silhouette of a heap of rubbish, or a shadow cast by something, that inspires me through its arrangement. The world is full of inspiration.
How has working in the studio of another artist influenced you?: It brought me into contact with many different materials such as Styrofoam, plaster, wood, and plastic that otherwise would not have crossed my path. But especially the free modelling and the turning with plaster, has and still plays an important role in my work.
Will ceramics still be relevant in the future?: Ceramics offer so many possibilities to express yourself in a creative way. So I believe that as long as people want to express themselves, my craft will continue to exist.

Christine Ruff is a master artisan: she began her career in 1986 and she started teaching in 2010