Under a set of railway arches in the Haggerston neighborhood of East London, a pack of clay dogs was ready to be brought to life.
A Boston terrier and a cockapoo were among the pack, the work of the ceramist Alice Johnson, who makes bespoke sculptures of people’s beloved animals through her business, Pottery Pets.
“I feel sort of very lucky that that’s my job,” said Ms. Johnson, 29, who had the small dachshund she was dog-sitting curled up on her lap.
“I hope that it’s something that they will treasure forever — that’s sort of the whole point.”Ms. Johnson was studying illustration at the University of Brighton when she began experimenting with air-drying clay, which doesn’t need to be fired in a kiln, and, during a summer holiday, completed a three-day pottery course that included making clay versions of her two pet spaniels.
When she returned to school, she said that her friends asked if she could make replicas of their pets.
Persons:
Alice Johnson, ”, Johnson, Ms
Organizations:
Boston, University of Brighton
Locations:
Haggerston, East London