Helen Beard

Helen Beard is a potter and illustrator and a people watcher at heart. She studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. After graduating, Helen was an apprentice with Edmund de Waal in London.

She set up her own studio in 2004 in the London borough of Islington where she makes, draws, designs and sometimes teaches.

The local area and people inspire much of her work. There are all sorts of characters who crop up again and again in her sketchbooks and on her pots – from swimmers in the parks to traders at the local markets.

By grouping her pots together, Helen likes to tell a story – creating whimsical scenes that capture the small yet precious moments that make up our daily lives.

Helen’s Dailyware pots are slip-cast from moulds of her wheel thrown forms. They are then bisque-fired, glazed and glaze-fired before being decorated with special lithographically printed ceramic decals of her hand-painted illustrations. A third and final firing melts the artwork into the glaze, so that it is tough enough for dishwashers, microwaves and everyday use.