Contemporary Ceramics gallery and shop exhibits the greatest collectable names in British ceramics along with the most up and coming artists of today. Our distinguished makers are all carefully selected members of the Craft Potters Association.
All of our makers are members of the Craft Potters Association and each of them have a story to tell.
Alistair studied ceramics at Bath Academy of Art and set up his first pottery studio in Gloucestershire in 1978, producing thrown reduction fired stoneware for a range of companies. While continuing with his own making he later took on the running of the studio ceramics department at The Royal Forest of Dean College and instigating a series of potters conferences.
Jack has two major strands to his ceramic portfolio: hand-thrown porcelain vessels and his stoneware domestic range. Over time, he has developed and forged his own unique way of making.
With his distinctive hand-thrown porcelain vessels, Jack has honed his craft skills to working with one clay, one colouring mineral and one single firing technique. Within this simple but richly complex way of fine tuning his practice, he has found his singular creative focus. His firing technique is unique, where the space within the kiln is used creatively.
Jane completed a foundation course at Chelsea School of Art, before obtaining a Fine Art degree at Winchester School of Art. She works in paper porcelain, a sensitive medium. The malleable, translucent yet robust qualities of the combination of clay and paper enables her to construct and hand build. Rolling the clay eggshell thin, tearing and pushing it to its limits to the final firing, Jane is entirely absorbed by the process of making.
Sarah makes functional pieces for the home. She has multiple influences including English Delftware and East Asian celadon ware. Her work is also inspired by coastal landscapes, plants, paint colours and fabrics. Soft natural colours are a strong characteristic of Sarah’s work.
As a child, Emmanuel grew up surrounded by the traditions and perfumes of Sardinia, a land rich in marine life. Her work is influenced by her native culture with its music and folk-costumes of luxuriant materials adorned with precious jewels. She was captivated by the gentle flowing of the living creatures found in the seabed, particularly by coral and the variety of porous sponges.
Taja came over to UK from his native country Japan to study oil painting and settled in Devon over 40 years ago. He was inspired by so many potters in the south west, so he started making pots using his friend’s pottery workshop. He is largely self-taught. He found that slab and coil built pottery suits him the most. He started experimenting with porcelain clay about 20 years ago after being inspired by enormous blue porcelain wall tiles at a new Japanese airport especially the water-like quality of the blue glaze.
