BIOGRAPHY
Andrea Cashell works from her studio in Youghal, Co. Cork. She originally studied painting at The Crawford College of Art and Design and later studied ceramics at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Having graduated in 2000 with a first class honours degree in design craft/ceramics and having been awarded the N.C.E.A. purchase prize she took some years out to start a family. Her public commissions include an installation in the National College of Ireland, I.F.S.C. Dublin and the Town Hall, Youghal, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Andrea makes contemporary slab built sculptures using white stoneware clay. She constructs each piece with very thin slabs. As the layers are built up the form takes shape. This process allows for a more spontaneous approach making each piece unique. The work is bisque fired to 1000 degrees, then an under glaze is applied in colours ranging from turquoise, charcoal and citrus yellow. It is then fired again to 1050 degrees. Her work is influenced by the natural world, she is inspired by the organic forms of shells, plants and flowers while living by the sea provides a constant source of inspiration.
The most recent body of work was based on the rose. Each rose emerges within the confines of a cubed form. Andrea wished to convey a sense of growth as the petals unfurl, peeling away the layers to reveal new landscapes. The work was included in a group exhibition which was held in the Jack O’ Patsy Gallery, Youghal, Co. Cork in December 2009, more info of this exhibition can be read at www.youghalonline.com