The most distinguished of the Art Deco designers is Clarice Cliff. Most people have heard the name and are familiar with the bold colours and designs of the famous lady from Staffordshire.
Born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England in 1899, Clarice Cliff attended the Burslem School of Art and a year later the Royal College of Art. The Staffordshire firm of A.J. Wilkinson & Co. took Clarice on as an apprentice at the age of 17, and by the 1920’s she was involved in the decoration of large jars painted in bright colours and gilt known as Tibetan ware. However the style Clarice developed that really stamped her mark literally on the ceramic’s scene was Bizarre ware. Designed off her own back for a trade fair in 1928, Bizarre ware was so instantly popular that by the following year the entire Wilkinson’s factory was dedicated to its production. Bright colours and angular designs typified this marked Art Deco form.
Other ranges followed such as Fantasque, Farmhouse, Biarritz and an extensive collection of shapes decorated with Crocus patterns. Flowers, surreal landscapes and geometric designs were applied to a vast range of wares and were often purchased by the general public for special occasions such as wedding presents. Clarice went on to marry the boss of Wilkinsons – Colley Shorter. After the death of her husband in 1963 Clarice sold the company to Midwinter. Some of the rarer pieces of Clarice Cliff today command immense prices – especially the more geometric patterns.
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