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.
Kaori is a Japanese ceramicist living and working in London. She was born in Arita, coming from a family of ceramics traders and from the age of eight, lived in Kyoto - both places famous for ceramics. She grew up surrounded by ceramics and was immersed in nature playing with plants, trees, insects and animals.
Ruth's pots are built using sheets of soft clay, her dedication to the art and process of making, from construction to firing, has given rise to very particular work. Within this particularity lies a thought -provoking tension. While the pots are structured with great intention and tailored to contain space, their formal concerns are softened by an underlying sensuousness, best experienced by the all -important sense of touch. The vapours that caress each piece in the kiln create an inextricable link between the form and the smooth, rich and complex tones that articulate and enhance the pots' surfaces.
David had no artistic or ceramic history in his family, nor did he formally study ceramics. He discovered ceramics by accident as an element in his teaching degree whilst at Bretton Hall in the late 1960s. Similarly, his work in raku was appropriately the result of a serendipitous encounter with an American raku potter in the mid-1970s. David states that due to persistence, natural talent and support from colleagues, friends, and family, especially his wife Jan, over the past 40 years he has established himself as a leading international practitioner in raku ceramics.
Andy was born and raised in North Staffordshire, aware of the nearby manufactured ceramics and the historical legacy of ‘The Potteries’. Beyond pottery lessons at school, Andy undertook a vocational craft-based course at the University of Derby.
Claire creates decorative smoke-fired pots. She chooses to use porcelain due to its strong resistance to wild temperature changes during the smoke-firing process. Her pots are not functional nor suitable for holding water due to the porous quality of the unglazed burnished clay which is necessary for smoke-firing.
Lise was born in Norway in 1974 and grew up surrounded by nature and the urban environment of Oslo. She trained as a bespoke women’s tailor before embarking on an Art and Design Foundation Course at Bournville, UCE, followed by a BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textile Design at Ravensbourne College, UK.
Her interest in ceramics as an alternative creative outlet started with short courses at Putney School of Art in 2012, where she continued her learning for several years before joining communal studios in London. After nearly 20 years working in fashion, Lise switched to ceramics full-time in 2019 and co-founded a London studio and gallery in 2020.