“These candlesticks bring together the mood of several references that are dear to me. As I embarked on the project, I pinned-up on the wall in my studio Karl Blossfeldt, Hans Koper, Lucie Rie, Barbara Hepworth, Cycladic Art, Mary Queen of Scots (who I was obsessed with as a teenager), and of course The Wicker Man. There is something of each of them in here.

The majority of my practice is batch-throwing tableware. I love the permission I’ve been given to explore a grander more sculptural scale in my work. I’ve enjoyed making intuitively, and sitting with the same objects for far longer than I would normally.” Cara Guthrie

Slate: Ceramic, copper oxide glaze.

Iron: Ceramic, iron oxide glaze.

Lichen: Ceramic, lava glaze.

Height 54cm, collar width 27cm. The holder for the candle is 4.5cm at widest point.

Samhain Candlesticks were first shown at Bard as part of the group exhibition The Grit and The Glamour in November 2023.