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.
Valerie studied fashion and textiles at Brighton and Bristol art colleges. Valerie’s art is about a combination of brushstroke and knowledge of colour acquired through a lifetime of painting. Ken learned to pot with potters in Bristol and London and has had a long association with potters throughout the country in his work for the craft ceramic materials industry and kiln manufacturing.
Rachel Grimshaw’s sculptural ceramics are about the clay itself. Focusing on its pliable, immediate, qualities, Rachel likens her pieces to photographs capturing a ‘frozen moment’ in time, her pieces are fixed in a forever gesture once fired.
Jennifer works from her studio on the edge of Dartmoor in South Devon - a quiet space to develop her practice. She makes vessels inspired by ancient potters who remained closely attuned to their natural environment.
Vessels are hand-built from black, red, or white stoneware clays, using pinch and coil methods to preserve every mark and impression in the soft material. Using only a few simple tools, the process is slow and rhythmic. Surfaces are coated with thin layers of slips and glazes. The pattern left by the pinching process is accentuated as the glaze pools into the hollows. The colours are subtle, with occasional flashes of vibrant colour, all to be found within nature’s palette. Pieces may be fired several times, until a particular quality of colour and texture is achieved.
Paula’s childhood dream from the age of eight was to become a potter based by the sea. She studied drawing, painting and art history at school followed by a Fine Art and Ceramics course at college. She has pursued teaching and making ever since and moving to Cornwall in 2000 gave Paula more time, inspiration, and the fulfilment of her childhood dream. The Cornish land/seascape, coastline profiles, ancient heritage and mining history are an endless source of inspiration for her work.
Jane Hamlyn's life as a full-time professional potter began in 1975. She chose to work in salt-glaze, an unpredictable technique with a short history and undiscovered potential.
Ikuko Iwamoto is a London-based Japanese artist who uses porcelain to create eccentric table-top pieces and sculpture. Her fundamental inspiration comes from intricate and fragile looking structures, and odd forms found in the microscopic world.
