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.
Geoffrey Swindell was born in Stoke-on-Trent. First studying painting, it wasn’t until he took up a summer job at the Pottery at Alton Towers that he decided to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor and become a potter.
Sophie MacCarthy has always been drawn to random scatterings of leaves on the ground. Scatter and flow, rhythm and movement are consistent themes in the decoration of her earthenware pieces, along with a bold and joyous approach to colour.
Richard Phethean is a long established professional potter whose work has been exhibited and collected widely across the UK and Europe. He is a Fellow of, and recently retired as Chair of the Craft Potters Association, a member of the Cornwall Crafts Association and of the Penwith Society of Artists.
Chloë is based in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. After studying Fine Art Ceramics (BA Hons.), achieving a Higher Diploma in Art Education, and completing her MA in History of Art and Architecture at the University of Limerick, Chloë moved to Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny to complete the Design and Crafts Council’s two-year pottery skills training course.
Terry was born in Abergele in North Wales and is a graduate of the seminal Harrow Ceramics course, where he was taught by Victor Margie and Mick Casson. He worked with Denise and Rosemary Wren in Surrey before returning to North Wales in 1978 where he set up a studio with his wife Bev Bell-Hughes in Llandudno Junction.
His work is primarily in thrown, high-fired domestic pots, reflecting influences from both Oriental and British country ware.
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.
