Rejecting mass-produced forms, Suttie’s ceramics were largely hand built, giving them their signature raw, organic quality. Many works are provocative, phallic, and exist somewhere in between functional object and sculpture, such as Spoon (1984). Most of Suttie’s pieces from the early 1980s are marked by an explosion of colour, as seen in Doodle Plate (1982), which is decorated with a rainbow of various glazes, lustres and enamels. They have an undeniable sense of vibrancy, energy and pride.
Other works such as Loving Cup (1985), made a year after his lover died of HIV/AIDS, are much more sombre in tone. Here, Suttie created his own version of a loving cup – a drinking container traditionally used in wedding ceremonies. It is notably much more muted in colour than his earlier works. The creases in the modelled clay, like folds of skin, are made more visible by its partially glazed state. Indents of nimble fingers and thumbs also remain in its surface. Phrases such as ‘I love you’, ‘love me’ and ‘find my soul’ are scratched into the surface like deep wounds, revealing the fleshy earthenware clay underneath. Ceramics such as these are deeply personal and intimate, but no less political.