Annette Elizabeth Sykes

 Water has long been central to Annette’s identity and creative practice. As a Pisces, she feels a deep spiritual connection to water, viewing it not only as a source of refuge through outdoor swimming, but also as a powerful and complex force that shapes human existence. Over time, this relationship has evolved into a deeper exploration of water as both life-giving and destructive, demanding reflection and respect.

In this body of work, Annette combines her fascination with water and archaeology, particularly the overlooked and utilitarian objects of the past rather than precious or ornamental artefacts. Her focus centres on pottery: vessels that, across centuries and cultures, have been designed to hold, transport, and preserve water. These containers, often richly decorated and highly valued, act as enduring records of human life, revealing stories of everyday existence long after other traces of civilisation have disappeared. Surviving the erosion of time, they become both practical objects and cultural markers.

Annette's material process is deeply informed by a lifelong engagement with textiles. Raised in an environment immersed in colour, fabric, stitching, and pattern cutting, making became an instinctive and embodied language. Although she initially distanced herself from this inherited tradition, she has since returned to it through processes including printing, painting, tearing, and cutting paper. These gestures reference textile practices while simultaneously engaging with painterly approaches, resulting in layered and tactile works.

Through richly textured surfaces and forms, the artist reflects on humanity’s enduring impulse to create beauty from the most functional of objects. Her work considers how utilitarian vessels have, throughout millennia, become treasured as both practical tools and objects of ornamentation, continuing to connect human beings across time and culture.

“A glimpse of gold, a flash of insight into the maker - aeons have passed - yet as alive as if it were made yesterday.  My imagination takes flight and knows no bounds as the excitement of exploration feeds my heart, soul and art.”