Sarah Dunstan

St Ives’ potter Sarah Dunstan has achieved international acclaim for her unique, slab-built work and in 2012 was elected Fellow of the Craft Potters Association in recognition of her contribution to contemporary ceramics. On completing a degree in ceramics at Cardiff, Sarah returned to her native Cornwall to establish her first pottery in 1993 and has been a professional potter ever since. In 2002, she moved to the Gaolyard Studios, founded by Leach potter John Bedding to offer established potters individual studio spaces within a vibrant creative hub. Here she produces her distinctive, highly decorative ceramics, instantly recognisable for their rich velvety colours and intricate, hand-cut porcelain overlays.

“In my work I explore ideas around the half-forgotten memories and images that persist from childhood – perhaps a vintage wallpaper, the stylised narrative of my Mother’s Willow Pattern plates, or the familiar shape of an opened sardine tin. My aim is to bring these elements together in a finished piece to combine a gentle nostalgia with the absolute, archival permanence of the ceramic medium.”