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.
Simon spent his childhood fishing, drawing, and painting (usually creatures with sharp teeth). His first experience with clay was at the age of nine, throwing on the wheel under the guiding hands of Tessa Oates at Chipstead Craft Studios, later sculpting and modelling. He entered the world of graphic design and illustration, working in London design studios for a decade and then from his home in Kent.
Sun Kim is a Korean ceramicist born in Saudi Arabia. She received her first BA in Fine Arts in Brazil where she grew up. Following that she continued her studies in ceramics, graduating with a second BA from Alfred University, New York in 2003. In 2004, she moved to the UK to undertake a studio assistantship with Edmund de Waal. In 2007, she set up her own practice in South London where she is currently based.
After completing an MA in Ceramics from the RCA in 1988, Paul moved to Italy and worked for Gucci on their home and perfume products, then into the world of leather goods and accessories. That seemed a natural progression from clay with his love of form, sculpture and respect for craftsmanship. This led to a 30-year career in Fashion accessories, moving to New York in the early 90s, becoming design director for Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, and COACH amongst others.
Emily mostly works with a red stoneware clay that fires to a rich dark brown, with iron speckles showing through the glaze. She occasionally works with porcelain as the white body is ground for wonderful bright glazes. Most of the glazes contain barium and copper, a combination which give rise to interesting matt green glazes in an electric kiln.
Dan Kelly trained at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts where Colin Pearson was an initial influence, encouraging him to develop his throwing technique. His stoneware pots are defined by the way he manipulates them - cutting and reshaping by hand.
John has been making stoneware pottery in the North Lancashire village of Yealand Redmayne for forty years. The firing process requires a temperature of 1320c, and a smoky/reducing atmosphere in the kiln, which results in rich glaze colours and exciting unpredictable effects on the pots. Most of the pots are classically simple functional shapes, thrown on the wheel, but John occasionally alters the freshly thrown pots to produce one of the signature forms for which he is well known.
