Juliet Macleod

Above: Series of porcelain bottles: decorated with found wool, wire, rock, rubber and plastic.

Juliet Macleod makes wheel-thrown porcelain for functional and decorative use. More than twenty years working as a graphic designer generated a fascination for mark making. She uses handmade tools for painting, printing and sgraffito. These and the themes of reflection, floating and surface are used to impart an evocative exploration of the Scottish coast.

She works from her studio, The Cloud Pottery which is located in the countryside near Aberdeen. The local coastline and regular trips to the Outer Hebrides inform her practice.

EP Interview

What was reason for the change from graphic design to ceramics. Where did you train for ceramics? I stopped working as a graphic designer when our youngest child was born, and we moved from Devon to Scotland. I had been taught a little pottery at school, and did evening classes for a year at Hackney Community College. When we settled in Aberdeen I did a short course in Intermediate Ceramics at Gray’s School of Art and then taught myself, with the help of online videos by Simon Leach and Hsinchuen Lin.

I see you do a lot with ‘Potfest’ what are your thoughts around shows as compared to galleries? I prefer shows as I find the interaction with visitors very rewarding, often with enjoyable discussions about process and inspiration. As pottery can often be a very solitary career, another definite bonus is having the opportunity to catch up with other makers. I have sold work through galleries in the past, and still do on occasion as I have strong relationships with those galleries, however often I don’t have time to do both whilst maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Is there such a thing as a typical working day in the studio? where is the studio? My making schedule generally works on a four week rotation - roughly two weeks throwing and turning, a week of decorating, a week of firings and finishing. My studio is a shed in my garden, plus our utility room which acts as a drying room.

How would you describe your work? A lifetime of coastal memories retold on porcelain. Wheel thrown porcelain, decorated with tools handmade from materials scavenged from Scottish beaches.

Juliet Macleod, The Cloud Pottery www.julietmacleod.com

“The light this far north has had a significant influence on many artists - the low sun even in high summer gives a distinct intensity and contrast. My work is inspired by the colours and landscape of the Scottish coast. That is not to say that those colours and formations are unique to Scotland, however it is my memories of time spent in those places that make my work what it is”. Juliet Macleod

Porcelain bowl: decorated with found wool, wire and shells.

Amongst the marram covered dunes at St Cyrus, Aberdeenshire. (Photo by Shannon Tofts)

Juliet and Mij the border terrier on the step of her garden studio. (Photo by Shannon Tofts)

Porcelain bowl: decorated with found wool, wire and plastic. (Photo by Shannon Tofts)