Jon Williams

As a child, Jon loved drawing and messing about with mud. He and his brother and friends spent many joyful years roaming and exploring on the waste ground of empty housing plots.  The exposed seams of soft yellow clay they discovered was perfect for making ‘weapons’ – squashed balls of clay on the ends of sticks. Although childhood has long passed, the activity has informed and inspired his approach to ceramic practice and his educational/community engagement work.

Jon excelled in art at school but it wasn’t until the age of fifteen that he realised with delight that art could be a job. He studied in Swindon and then Bath, his experience culminating in a First Class degree in Ceramics and 3D Design. Whilst at art school, he met his future wife and fellow potter Sarah Monk and in 1994 they moved to Herefordshire and founded Eastnor Pottery.

He is currently interested in producing ceramics that can be interacted with in an unorthodox and interesting way. Pots are designed to be struck, shaken or submerged in water to produce a sonic effect.  Play is an ever-present thread whether it’s exploring materials and ideas in his own making or encouraging workshop participants to experience pottery in unique and inventive ways.