Known for her slab-built pots, King is a distinguished ceramist. Ruth King trained at Camberwell School of Arts and Craft in 1974-77: soon after the artist moved to York after four years of living and working in London. King is still based near York where she has lived and worked since the 1980s. She is a member of many prestigious groups such as the Craft Potters Association and the Research Network for Science and Art in Ceramics Glass. The artist has her work in many Private and Public collections across the country and overseas including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the museum of Scotland.
All of King's pots are made of delicately fabricated slabs of soft stoneware clay that are shaped with undulating curves and sharp points- the pots create a tension in their construction- putting forward a comment on the sensuous nature of clay. Transforming it from merely an object to sensation. The pieces are salt glazed and fired in the artists kiln in her garden. These shimmering glazes work with the arcs and cervices in the clay to add tonal dimension.
