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.
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.
Originally from Kent, Mitch studied Ceramic Design at Falmouth School of Art during the early 1990s. She creates hand-built sculptural ceramics inspired by the natural forms from her coastal finds, both at home in North Devon and on her travels. Her stoneware vessels hark back to the dry, worn spirals of old conch shells collected on Caribbean beaches.
Ashley Howard creates porcelain vessels informed by east Asian and homespun pottery traditions. His pieces draw from his interest in ritual vessels, the spaces they occupy and the ceremonies that surround them.
Clare Conrad's work is an exploration of colour and texture, inspired by the effects of light and ageing on architecture, artefacts and landscape. Her technique of layering vitreous slip onto wheel-thrown vessels, vases and bowls creates a rugged texture.
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.
Martin Pearce creates abstract sculptural pieces inspired by natural forms. His work often portrays a state of flux, with the quality of moving water or cloud forms, while other pieces appear as if they could be in quiet contemplation.
