Sophie MacCarthy and Richard Phethean’s established careers have embraced bold decoration and a joyous approach to colour through the use of slip on their earthenware pieces. In this exhibition Sophie’s classic forms and intricate stencil decoration sit well together with Richard’s meticulous abstract designs on curious constructed shapes.
Their passion for design and colour, alongside the similarities in their making process creates a complimentary combination of works that are a delight to see in this exhibition.
Sophie’s pieces, using a mixture of stencils and brushstrokes on traditional forms, appear to create movement and depth within each decoration. Floating leaves swim in front of your eyes upon her carefully crafted plates while birds rest on branches within wheel thrown mugs.
Richard’s forms stand proudly – each one so full of character that his abstract decoration could be likened to clothes draped across each piece.
Together Sophie MacCarthy and Richard Phethean celebrate a bold and joyous approach to colour through the use of slip on their earthenware pieces.
Please see our ‘visit us’ page for our temporary gallery opening times.
This exhibition profiles the works of eight esteemed makers, each of whom have recently been awarded Selected Member status by the Craft Potters Association.
Lise’s primary interests lie in creating decorative and sculptural forms with highly textured, expressive surfaces. The work is deeply rooted in the rugged landscape she grew up in in Norway, imbuing a sense of place, timelessness and quiet beauty within each piece, as if they were found, rather than made.
This exhibition profiles the works of ten esteemed makers, each of whom have recently been awarded Selected Member status by the Craft Potters Association.
As his working practice approaches fifty years, Jack Doherty’s work has become simpler and more focused. By stripping away what he considers unnecessary, Jack’s process now involves just one clay, one colouring mineral, and a single firing. For inspiration and courage, he looks back to prehistoric vessels, powerful anonymous objects that held both practical and spiritual significance in everyday life. These forms, made before art or craft, speak profoundly of their time and the people who lived with them.
“Simplicity is complexity resolved” - Constantin Brancusi
Lara Scobie is an Edinburgh based ceramic artist specialising in individual slip-cast vessels and bowls made in porcelain and parian clay. Focusing on the dynamic between form and pattern her work explores the cohesive integration of drawing, surface, mark making and volume. The off-center ellipses of the individual forms echo line drawings and decoration applied to the painted surfaces.
“The theme of balance is a constant, significantly underlining my current work in which ideas of dynamic interplay between form and surface develop.” – Lara Scobie
Sue’s work draws on the quiet resilience of trees and bones—forms shaped by time, marked by fragility and carrying memories of growth and decay. Through slow, receptive hand-building, each piece develops as if guided by an internal rhythm. Textured surfaces hold lines like weathered stories, while a soft matte glaze evokes a sense of calmness.
‘My hurt, my joy, my scars, my healing, all shape the work I create in clay.’ – Sue Mundy