Studio Willis is the practice of designer-maker Emma Willis. She explores memory and narrative through handcrafted forms.
Based in North Shropshire, on the Welsh border, her practice is concept-driven and material-led, working predominantly by hand in ceramics and stoneware.
Studio Willis is a concept-driven practice working with ceramics, porcelain, and stoneware to create abstract forms and evocative objects.
Based in North Shropshire, on the Welsh border, Emma creates abstract sculptural forms and evocative objects rooted in memory, remembrance, and narrative. Her practice is built on material honesty, texture, and the emotional resonance of form, working predominantly by hand in porcelain and stoneware.
Her work is shaped by a restrained, often monochrome palette, drawn to surfaces that carry the trace of process. The material itself communicates fragility, permanence, and human touch.
Approach
“Material memory is central to how I work. Every surface holds something of the process, the resistance, and the making. I am drawn to what the clay remembers: the tension, the touch, the moments where control gives way.”
Emma Willis
Selected works.
Each piece begins with concept and is shaped by the material. A selection of recent projects spanning commission, personal, and academic practice.
Screwed Up
Ribbons of Memory
Emma Willis is a designer-maker creating abstract sculptural forms and evocative objects from her studio in North Shropshire.
Emma’s practice is rooted in concept and material, creating abstract sculptural forms and evocative objects that explore memory, remembrance, and narrative. Working predominantly by hand in porcelain and stoneware, her work is shaped by texture, material honesty, and the emotional resonance of form.
Alongside personal and academic projects, Emma welcomes commissions and collaborative work across a range of scales and contexts. If you have a project in mind, she would love to hear from you.
Latest news and updates.
Process, projects, and thoughts from the studio. An insight into the work, the ideas behind the practice, and news from Studio Willis.