ABOUT XIMENA
Ximena Heasman is a Colombian/British ceramic artist and designer. Ximena makes contemporary stoneware functional pottery and also figurative raku ceramics. Her style is the result of the mix of her Colombian cultural roots and her experiences living in Britain as well as constant themes that appear through her work such as the joy and beauty of the relationships between people and nature, the power of the Feminine Divine and the importance of symbols, rituals and festivities. In her own words, "It is very important for me to create beautiful objects that people can use, enjoy and make them smile".
When Ximena was a child, she used to visit a small village called Ráquira, which means “the village of potters” known for its pottery long before the Spanish conquered the continent. Ráquira is a very colourful village in the mountains of the Andes where many traditional artisans still live and work. This is the area where her Father lived when he was a child and where she spent formative years finding natural clay and shaping her first pots.
Ximena gained her degree in Product Design from The National University of Colombia in Bogota. Her training in industrial product creation and large scale manufacture did not sit well, and reinforced her love for craft and ceramics. Now as a product designer, Ximena feels as if the industry has been becoming increasingly overwhelmed with objects that lack personality, soul and ethical principles. To counter this she has decided to dedicate her time to designing and crafting functional and decorative ceramics. She lived in Colombia until she was 27. The country has had a difficult time in the last 50 years and as a reaction to this she has had a firm intention of making people happier through her work.
She has trained privately in the UK with a number of British potters and now has her own studio in Forest Row, Sussex. Ximena is a member of the 'London Potters' organisation and sells her work in shops and at fairs and markets in Sussex and London. She also sells her work internationally having happy clients in USA and Australia.
