Kicking off our new series of “Stories With Skills”. We are getting behind the scenes and hearing some brilliant stories about inspiration, success and day to day distractions from our makers. Please take a minute to get to know sculptor and ceramicist Charlotte Jonerheim whose work celebrates an intricate Urban twist to all she creates, using cement and other challenging to mould and shape ingredients – her surfaces are beautifully imperfect and textured and we can’t wait for you to meet her.

I do love the candleholders as they came out totally by chance.  When I first did the trial I wanted to see how thin I could cast cement, which I thought was impossible and it would break, and to my surprise it actually worked. From this observation there are lots of possibilities.

I did come from a background in art from Sweden but when came to London many years ago I decided to study art almost immediately. I did my foundation at the Byam Shaw School of Art, which lead me onto a BA at Slade School of Art, where I was lucky enough to have the most amazing tutors, one of them being Phyllida Barlow.

After a long gap I decide on a MA which I did at Chelsea School of Art. At Chelsea I was on a generous scholarship, which led me to an artist in residency as well as teaching, in India, just outside New Delhi, which was a great experience.

I have been shortlisted for a few arts prices: Red Mansion Art Prize, Beers Contemporary Art Awards, Clifford Chance Sculpture Prize. As well as the artist residency in India I also did another one at the Gate Theatre in London, responding to Strindberg’s play Dance of Death. I have participated in both group and solo exhibitions – Last year I had a piece in the RA Summer Show.

So many artists I would not know where to start – At the moment Magdalena Abakanowicz for her outstanding amazing woven sculptures. When it comes to craft I really love the work of the participants in the Loewe Craft prize each year, Takuro Kuwata stands out for his innovation in ceramics. I like Fernando Mastrangelo for his drums, but I could go on and on..

As a sculptor I have worked with a lot of different materials.

When I decided that I wanted to take a leap into making products I looked into a material that I thought would be suitable for a product as well as a material I loved so cement happened (I had of course worked with it before).

Wax and fabric, as well as plaster. I also use ready made objects in combination with different materials. At the moment I work predominately with collage using paper, newsprint, wax and stitching

Hmm.. yes I do. There has always been this distinction between ‘high’ art and craft. Predominantly because the art world was run by white middle class men who frowned at craft. But luckily this has changed, or maybe I should say the way craft materials used are changing.

Strange Clay at the Hayward gallery a couple of weeks ago was a proof on this and showed the artistic skill clay can offer instead of making a pot or a vessel. But the main difference that I see is functionality – craft is more about functionality, decoration and a particular skill.

Fine art involves so many different techniques which can produce a product in the end, as well as different genre. It can be solely based on intellectual thinking and the outcome is not a product, totally self reflecting with an emotional base, reflecting popular culture, politics or activism.