Potters EMERGING
The magazine is an independent journal. The publishers do not accept any liability for errors or omissions. The views expressed in the features are not necessarily those of the editor. Reproduction in part or whole must be with the consent of the editor. All rights reserved. 2025.
Introduction The online pottery magazine
Welcome to the new magazine for 2025. It is with great excitement that we are able to profile the work of Felicity Aylieff who has a new show being held at Kew Gardens, London until the end of March 2025.
For a long time now I have wanted to profile the work of makers in Ireland. So, in this edition we look at Strata Studio in the Republic of Ireland and their magazine ‘Ceramics Ireland’.
I hope you enjoy the magazine.
Cover: Felicity Aylieff at work in her Jingdezhen studio, China. Photo: UCN Documentary Studio.
Photo at Kew: Alun
Felicity Aylieff
Entrance to the show at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens
Assembling Blue: Sentinel Obelisk II, 2023
Height: 549.5 cm
Felicity Aylieff At Kew Gardens, London
And an exhibition of botanical art at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery.
26 October to Sunday 23 March 2025
This must be the most important ceramic solo show to appear in London in the past decade.
Aylieff has been at the cutting edge of ceramics ever since the Sense and Perception show at Manchester City Art Gallery in 2002. The show went on to tour Bath Art Gallery and Blackwell House, Cumbria. Then is 2007 she undertook a research sabbatical to China. The resultant work, with Arts Council funding was published as a book –‘Out of China’ together with a film. This show marked her growing interest in creating work of architectural scale. She went on to show in numerous exhibitions in the UK and internationally.
Added to this has been her pioneering input to teaching originally as Head of Ceramics and Glass at The Royal College of Art, and now as visiting Professor.
Now, she opens with a new solo show at Kew entitled, Expressions in Blue. With 42 new pieces of work it represents four year of work at her studio in Jingdezhen, China. Renowned internationally, Jingdezhen is the porcelain capital of the worl d, and can trace its production to the 6 th century, often working to commissions by the Chinese Emperors for dinner services involving thousands of items.
Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide.
Aylieff has been living and working in China for the past twenty years, with her time divided between he studio in Jingdezhen, and more recently as Visiting Professor in Ceramics at The Royal College of Art.
Collaborating with craftspeople in the city of Jingdezhen, she has been able to experiment in both scale and technical dexterity of the porcelain work. Throwing the largest pieces can take a team of three or more technicians, while working to the very precise designs by Aylieff.
After the first firing in gian t kilns, she will then apply the final surface decoration.
The largest piece, titled Blue: Sentinel Obelisk 11 , 2023 is over five metres tall. Largest works can works can weigh in excess of 200 kg. To fire these monumental pieces only the very largest kiln s can handle the demands of firing to 1300 degrees Celsius. Only after the process of firing up to max heat and then cooling over several days will the team know if the firing has been successful.
Now, with the new show opening at Kew Gardens, London in October 2024 and running until March 2025 it is sponsored by the gallery Adrian Sassoon.
Of her work in China she says, “My passion is fuelled by the immense potential in this porcelain and the breathtaking impact it carries when realised on a monumental scale. The sheer beauty it exudes, whether applied to creating tabletop-sized objects or architectural marvels, enchants me. There’s an inherent sense of wonder and phenomena that adds to its allure.”
Packing the huge trolly kiln in Jingdezhen
factories
Taoxichuan where her studio is amongst other
Examples of glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel from the show.
Back in Jingdezhen she works with two family workshops. One produces highend limited production porcelain for domestic interiors. The other making wheel- thrown ‘big ware’. In this family-run enterprise all of the members of the family are involved.
The tr aditional technique of Blue and White ware is linked with China and the use of cobalt blue glaze. She commented, “I love working with huge calligraphy brushes, proportionate in size to the pots. Employing my entire body, I build up layers of rich blue tones.”
The work should be viewed on two levels. One being as sculpture forms in their own right, and the other being the masterly use of surface colour and decoration. The use of enormous brushmarks are very much in contrast with her Fencai which is based o n floral and vegetable forms. It is also very precise in its execution. The glaze is created by using luminous enamel, overglazes bounded by boarders of black line.
Part of the show includes the plant and floral watercolour studies housed at Key Gardens. These were studied in detail by Aylieff as part of her research for the show. The studies were the work of many Victorian botanists and horticulturalists who travelled the world in search of new specimens.
She commented, “The mood of a piece is determined by the size and type of brush, and the way it is flicked, slapped, dabbed, drawn, or daubed. Long brushes like sections of a broom, give generous sweeps of pigment, following the arc of the arm and in most cases involving stretching the whole body”.
Examples of botanical illustrations from the Shirley Sherwood Gallery which accompanies the Felicity Aylieff show.
Examples of monumental blue pieces together with painted Fencai over -glaze enamel pots (left).
Carved leaves 2017. 2 mtrs.
Ceramics of Ireland
For a long time now the magazine has been wanting to profile the work being done in The Republic of Ireland. In this edition we hope to make a start in remedying it.
Tina Byrne is the editor of the magazine Ceramics Ireland and is involved with the studio at Strata has kindly agreed to give us an introduction as to what is currently happening.
From the most significant names of the 80’ and 90’s those that are still working are Nicholas Mosse, Louis Mulcahy, Geoffrey Healy. Sculptural ceramics is represented by Sonja Landweer, Pat Connor, Jim Turner and Etain Hickey.
Tina commented, “Strata studio is just outside Kilkenny It had been an ambition of mine for many years to find a studio that could offer residency space specifically for ceramics.
Cover: Jennifer Hickey
The residency opportunities in Ireland are more mixed media and none focused primarily on clay.
Over three years ago this current property came onto the market having been vacant for nearly 10 years and three of us came together an d decided to purchase it.
The studio is steeped in creative history, having been Stoneware Jackson Pottery for many years and prior to that a glass blowing studio. It is just outside a small village, Bennettsbridge and 15 minute drive to Kilkenny city, 1.5hrs from Dublin airport”.
Then Tina set- up Strata Ceramics two years ago, to provide a ceramic residency space which also provides a series of masterclass / workshop opportunities for makers to develop skills throughout the year. There h ave been all levels of makers participating in the activities and residency. The residents want to take time to focus and explore their practice or research new ways of working, and the studio provides a great opportunity for both areas of investigation. The result has been a resounding success.
The Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) showcase and promote the work of Irish makers to a national and International audience. They have participated in the London international show of the Crafts Council UK Collect most recently in 2024.
Sarah Roseingrave
Elizabeth Petcu
Yasha Butler
They also run two highly acclaimed courses, the Jewellery and Silversmithing Course reopened in a new venue in Thomastown, Kilkenny in September 2024 and the Ceramics Skills and Design Course is due to reopen in a new facility in 2025, also in Thomastown.
The Ceramics course ran for 30 years with Gus Mabelson as director and head tutor. Many well established makers in the UK attended the course, Florian Gadsby, Adam Buick, James Hake to name a few. The courses are now level eight degree programmes accredited through the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and co run by the DCCI and the ATU.
Tina is also the editor of the Ceramics Ireland magazine has been produced for a long time by the organisation, which is an open membership voluntary organisation. It has evolved over the years into the full colour magazine that they produce today.
Prior to Covid, they produced two issues a year, Currently they produce one issue annually. It features the work of Irish and International makers, makers profiles, exhibitions, conferences, etc for over 10 years they took the magazine to NCECA - National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts in America. There annual conference moves to a different state each year and helped them to promote the work of Irish makers to a large audience.
Tina went on to comment, “We provide two exhibition opportunities for our members every year, the first is our Annual Open Submission Exhibition, ‘ClayWorks’ where we promise to show at least one piece from each maker and they can submit 3 to 4 pieces. This exhibition has grown over the years quiet substantially and has over 100 makers exhibit with us annually, normally for about 3/4 weeks.
Adam Frew
Mark Campden
The exhibition is curated by a member of the committee and the makers volunteer to help with moving plinths, unpacking, invigilating, etc. It would not be possible without their generous help in putting the show together. As it is open to all members we have well established makers show alongside people who a re beginning their journey in clay, students and part time makers. It always makes for a rich exhibition.
The second is the Ceramics Ireland Selected Exhibition which is open to everyone to submit but we bring an independent panel together to select the works which will go on show. The panel of two is made up of a maker, educator, collector or gallery owner. This tends to be a smaller exhibition with on average 45/ 55 makers showing ”.
Both exhibitions have awards associated with them, provided by generous supporters of the organisation and Ceramics Ireland provide three Professional Practice Awards of €500 to help buy equipment, take part in a masterclass or residency etc, and a Creativity in Craftsmanship Award.
The area of Kilkenny is particularly rich in the creative industries. It has a rich history of craft in the county, which started with the Kilkenny Design Workshops in 1965 which ran for over 20 years and brought Scandinavian makers to Ireland to share their skills and knowledge.
Christopher McHugh
Above: Sara Flynn
Centre: Grainne Watts
Left: Eleanor Swan
In 2021 Kilkenny was designated a World Craft Council Craft City and Region. Made in Kilkenny is a group of makers working across many disciplines, textiles, glass, wood, jewellery and ceramics.
Many graduates from the The Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) courses have settled in Kilkenny establishing their own studios. It has a vibrant fine art community also and is home to Cartoon Salon a locally owned animation company who have been nominated for three Oscars over the years. The DCCI have their offices and the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny. Long may it continue to prosper and continue to take it’s place on the world stage.
Contact details: Tina Byrne T: 085 7190912
Editor www.ceramicsireland.ie
Facebook: @ceramicsirelandonline
Instagram: @ceramicsireland
Twitter: @ceramicireland1
Alison Brent
Jane Seymour
Strata Studio
Strata Ceramics Residency is a new, vibrant ceramics centre in beautiful rural Ireland, just 90 minutes from Dublin. It is a professional, well equipped studio that runs specialist workshops and residencies. I very much valued my time spent teaching there, being part of it, and hope to be back again.
Wendy Kershaw, visiting ceramic consultant
Making resists
Tina
Strata Ceramics studio
Strata Studio…
Making paper prints
Strata Studio…
Making plaster prints
Making plaster prints
Making resists
Making resists
Making resists
Water etching
Water etching
Water etching
Hannah Staniforth From Pots to Prints
Many makers today use their images across a variety of disciplines. Here Hannah Staniforth explains the move to include print making in her studio portfolio…
Mark making is at the forefront of all of my work and mindset behind my creative process. As a ceramicist using slips, and a variety of brushes and found tools to make my marks is one of the ways that I have honed my creative skills and techniques using clay. I use the same principle in my prints and paintings too, by layering media and being spontaneous with my mark making. Decorating my ceramics and paintings, through spontaneous play is the only time my mind is quiet and focusing on the task at hand, being dyslexic I struggle with everyday tasks and I think I am more naturally drawn to the spontaneou s way of working and producing my work.
During the summer I spent a lot of time in the Scottish Boarders and walking in the Peak District, this is where I began to collect inspiration for my new range of prints. Picking out textures, shapes and colours in the landscape helped me develop and create a range of expressive and unplanned paintings, allowing me to just focus on the mark that was being created in that moment, and allow the rest of the work to come together naturally. I used a range of media, such as acrylic paint, graphite, ink, soluble oil pastels, coloured pencils and fine liner pens.
An example of Hannah’s hand building and thrown technique. £130.
These were all used on the same works, and layered onto each other focusing on sections of the photographs I had taken on my travels. Some of the paintings were made over a couple of days, allowing me to work back into them with different media. The prints I chose for this first collection will be available on my website mid November. Because my work is spontaneous and exp ressive each viewer will always see something different in each piece and read it in their own unique way as their mind tries to make sense of the image, this is the part I find interesting because it allows that piece to become personal and create a connection with the observer.
Print. 20cm x 20cm. £15 plus p&p.
Ref: b7b1
As a 16 year old I attended Chesterfield College to study the Art and Design course there and this is where I found my love for clay and I now work as an Art and Design Lecturer. In 2012 I started my degree course at DeMontfort university in Leicester stud ying Design Crafts, where I continued to develop my skills and began to experiment with coloured slips to decorate my ceramics.
I graduated in 2015 and the same year I joined the Ceramic Starter Studio Program at Yorkshire Artspace in Sheffield, where I had a studio space for two years and access to mentoring and studio equipment to support the beginning of my career as a ceramicist.
After a year's residency at Loughborough High S chool as their Artist in R esidence in 2018 continuing to create my own work and help students on ceramic and sculpture projects I moved back to Sheffield and I am now lucky enough to have my studio at my home after a few more studio moves. I have been working in my current studio since we completed renovating it in 2022. It was so important for me to have a space at home to work from for a variety of reasons, such as access and costings. It can be quite isolating sometimes and I miss my creative community, which just makes it even more important to make sure that you get out and socialise and get yourself to exhibitions and shows to keep seeing new things.
Over the next year I am starting to develop work where I aim to create a collection which explores the intersection of gender, work and class in the North of England with a focus on matriarchy and the working class.
In this work I will explore my own identity, growing up in Sheffield in the 1980’s to early 2000’s in a working class family and document the experience of womanhood and matriarchy through my own familial lens. This is something that I am looking forward to working on as I will be developing my conceptual ways of thinking and pushing my creative skills in another way. I will also be continuing to create.
All the works are about mark making and layers but really representative of the way I work in the sense of being dyslexic and having a quiet min d when I make the work. All of the prints are all inspired by British landscape and coast line but keeping in line with my expressive mark making style.
You can purchase these prints by contactingHannah on her website. www.hannahstaniforth.co.uk
P rint. 20cm x 20cm £15
Some of the major shows for 2025
Contemporary Ceramics
(Craft Potters Association)
Members show 6th February to 1st March.
Adam Buick 6th March to 29th March.
63 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3BF www.contemporaryceramics.uk
Contemporary Ceramics is a gallery and shop located opposite the British Museum in central London. Selling the very best in British studio ceramics. You will find the work of over 80 makers at any one time. And each are a member of the Craft Potters Association.
Collect (Crafts Council)
Returning for its 21 st edition from 28 February to 2 March 2025 at London’s Somerset House.
Collect 2025 presents new museum-quality artworks to the collectors’ market, with all works made within the last five years and many especially for the fair. Eight new galleries will join the line- up of 40 specialist galleries from across the globe, representing over 400 living international artists, from over 30 countries, all at the top of their game and pushing the boundaries of their craft.
Booking in advance is advised. Please see the website for details.
Tube stations are Charring Cross or Covent Garden. Parking is impossible.
All images are from previous years
Some of the major shows for 2025
New Designers
Business Design Centre, 2nd to 12 th July 2025
This is the show which brings together Art Colleges from all over the country. It’s so big it is divided into two shows, so watch their website for details. Nearest tube is Angel.
Royal College of Art –Ceramics and Glass
19 – 22 June 2025
The MA Ceramics and Glass course is based in the Woo Building, RCA Battersea Campus. The students graduating in 2025 have come from all over the world.
Royal Academy of Arts Summer Show
17 June – 17 August 2025. Main Galleries, Burlington House. TueGreen Park.
Held every year without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition showcases a diverse array of contemporary works, including ceramics, prints, paintings, film, photography, sculpture, and architectural work.
Some of the major shows for 2025
All images are from previous years
British Ceramics Biennial
Stoke-on-Trent September 2025
The next edition of the British Ceramics Biennial will run from 6 September to 19 October 2025, bringing together a dynamic programme of free exhibitions, screenings, talks and events that shine a light on Stoke- on -Trent’s industrial heritage and creative edge.
Hot on the heels of Stoke -on -Trent being named a World Craft City, and in the year that the city celebrates its centenary, the 2025 Biennial will spotlight leading contemporary ceramic artists and introduce work by fresh new talent, animating historic buildings and unexpected places with clay.
As well as staging the single largest ceramics event in the UK, British Ceramics Biennial runs an engaging year-round programme of artists’ commissions, learning and community projects in Stoke- on -Trent, with a vision of making change through clay. This feeds into the Biennial programme.
Potfest 2025
Potfest SE – Glynde Place April 25th – 27 th
Potfest in the Pens ( Penrith) Spring (TBC)
Potfest Scotland – Scone Palace June 6th – 8 th
Potfest by The Lake – Compton Verney June 20th – 22 nd
Potfest SW – Shaftsbury July 11th – 13 th
Potfest in The Park – Hutton -in -The -Forest July 25 th -27 th
Potfest Suffolk – Haughley Park A ugust 8 th – 10 th
Potfest in The Pens (Penrith) Autumn (TBC)
Porfest in The Pens – Melton Mowbray November 7 th 9 th
Potfest in The Pens Scotland November 21st – 23rd
Some of the major shows for 2025
Ceramic Art London (CAL)
At last year’s venueKensington Olympia West, London. This is a major show from the Craft Potters Association.
Allow time if travelling by public transport, but well worth the effort.
The hugely popular Ceramic Art London fair celebrates its 21st year in 2025. It will run from Friday – Sunday, May 9-11, 2025, at Olympia with a private view on Thursday, May 8, 2025 Organised by The Craft Potters Association, it is Europe’s premier ceramics fair and attracts thousands of visitors annually. In 2024 it moved to the larger space of Olympia West to allow the fair to expand.
There will be 120 makers exhibiting at the 2025 edition with prices ranging from £50 to £10,000.
Ceramic Art London has a strong international element with makers coming from as far afield as Canada, South Korea and Europe among others.
Book Review Handmade Tiles
Creative Techniques by Marion Brandis
Handmade Tiles and Creative Techniques
By Marion Brandis
Published by The Crowood Press
The Hardback edition (9780719844300) is £30.00 and the ebook edition (9780719844317 ) is £23.99. www.crowood.com enquiries@crowood.com ISBN 978 07198 4430 0
We all know that tiles have been around for a long time. From the floor tiles in the Middle Ages in palaces to churches to the intricate tiles in Islamic architecture. Then more recently the abundance of fine illustrated tiles from the Victorian period.
Today the art of the handmade tile seems to have moved from the mass produced factory tile into a craft potter/artist role. But who will be the next generation of makers? I don’t see any evidence of a revival coming from the student degree shows.
This book is a master introduction to the subject. It takes you through what is involved, how to establish a studio, and examples of those makers working today. It is one of those books th at is ‘a must have’ for any studio and for any level of experience.
Subjects such as getting started, different clays, use of print transfer, glazes and kiln work are all here. At the back of the book are some very helpful charts –firing and cones, clay suppliers, list of makers to see more of their work, services such as mould makers, tile collections and so on.
Brandis talks about how to develop your own work. Both in technical ability and creative approach. Armed with this knowledge now is the perfect time to join one of the ceramic studios which are popping -up all over the country.
“It’s a very good book. Interesting that Marion has made it accessible for those in other disciplines, so as to extend their knowledge of tile making and what is possible.
It strengthened the book to have a wide range of contemporary master tile makers work included, and not just the end product but a detailed description and photos of the different stages of making.
Her own tile work is superb and unique, and she shares in detail her working methods”.
Wendy Kershaw, Ceramic Maker
Handmade Tiles
by Marion Brandis
Marion Brandis is a leading maker who specializes in ceramics, mosaics. As well as private commissions, her work can be seen in many public buildings such as hospitals and housing developments. She has taught extensively on leading ceramic co urses throughout the country.
Handmade Tiles by Marion Brandis
Theis book has over 600 images, which together with its practical advice allows makers to work with confidence,. It also has many examples of current work by other makers showing the diversity of the medium. It is a complete guide to tile making and the techniques involved.
Book Review Grayson Perry
The Pre -Therapy Years
Catrin Jones and Chris Stephens
Published by Thames & Hudson
148 illustrations 24.5 x 21.0 cm 176 pp paperback
ISBN 978 0 500 298206
FIrst published in June £18.99
The first book to concentrate on the early ceramic work of ‘Transvestite Potter’, best selling author, broadcaster and social commentator. Grayson Perry
Grayson Perry is now a household name as a result of his widely viewed television documentaries, numerous publications and dazzling appearances. In 2003 he won the Turner prize, the first ceramicist to do so..
Ceramics are still central to Perry’s work as an artist, and this book examines the plates, pots and statues from the early 1980’s to the mid 1990’s that laid the foundations of his career. It traces his artistic development, examining the iconography and meaning behind the work, as well as placing his art in the context not only of his own psychological make -up in the period before he underwent therapy but also of the various subcultures of the London art scene.
Catrin Jones is Chief Curator at The V&A Collection at the World of Wedgwood.
Chris Shephens is Curator, Holburne Museum, Bath. 30
Book Review Ceramic Glazes
By Kate Doody and Brian Taylor
Published by Thames and Hudson
230 Illustrations. 22.9 x 19.4 cm. 320 pp paperback
ISBN 978 0 500 298541 First published in April.
£25.00
An essential resource for all ceramicists, this book features a beautiful collection of remarkable ceramic pieces selected for their unique use of glaze and colour. One hundred leading ceramicists describe their methodology, specify their recipes and recount their creative intentions, including when the outcomes were completely unexpected.
Written and compiled by two professionals in the field, Brian Taylor and Kate Doody, have carefully chosen a collection which features the best artists working in the ceramic medium today.
The book comprises a useful practical section, with advice for mixing, testing and applying glazes, plus a comprehensive materials directory and a detailed glossary.
Chapters on colour theory and the history of colour in ceramics complement the impressive directory.
Bringing together a vast range of skills, techniques and technical data in one volume, this is the ultimate collection of ceramic glazes and how they were made.
Brian Taylor is the Ceramics Studio Manager at Truro Centre for the Arts at Castle Hill in Truro, Massachusetts. Kate Doody is an artist and teacher who works with ceramics and sculptural materials.
Book Review
Designing and Making Tableware At The Wheel
By Catherine & Matt West
Designing and Making Tableware At The Wheel
Published by The Crowood Press
ISBN: 97807 19844577
Hard copy £18.99 ebook: £14.99
Available on publishers website: crowood.com
Authors website: www.potterywest.co.uk
For anyone who as attended a sale of ceramic tableware at one of the many studio open days will know just how popular it is.
Practical and accessible, personal and technical, this inspiring book is invaluable for all makers, whatever their experience, who want to create wheelthrown tableware. They share the knowledge and passion so evident in their work, and explore the overlapping notions of craft, design and small-batch production.
Richly illustrated with over 300 photos and with detailed step-by -step sequences, it celebrates the essence of how to make consistent handmade work.
Catherine and Matt West are both potters and makers. Their studio, Pottery West, is known for creating functional wheel- thrown tableware with unassuming, quiet forms and glazes with depth and character. As well as selling widely, they produce tableware ranges for restaurants and run throwing workshops from their Sheffield studio.
Book Review
Designing and Making Tableware At The Wheel
By Catherine & Matt West
Quote from the book…
The relationship between the food we eat and the tableware on which it is served is fascinating. As both food-lovers and potters we see parallels between the two. Working with clay is about working with the earth and respecting the finite resources available. It is about embracing a slower pace of life with an emphasis on process rather than solely the end result, and it is about learning and repeating traditional techniques in a predominantly digital world.
For many of us, a vast amount of our time is spent in front of a screen; this digital landscape is replacing the physical one in which the skill of the hand and an intimate knowledge of our land is no longer a prerequisite for survival. We can easily find ourselves disconnected from the material world and the way in which objects are made; indeed, many things that we purchase are mass-produced at an industrial scale. In a general sense, many of us have forgotten how to use our hands.
Photo: Studio shots are by India Hobson, and portraits by Thom Atkinson.
News Item…
News Item…
British Ceramics Biennial returns to
Stoke-on-Trent in September 2025
The next edition of the British Ceramics Biennial will run from 6 September to 19 October 2025, bringing together a dynamic programme of free exhibitions, screenings, talks and events that shine a light on Stoke-on-Trent’s industrial heritage and creative edge.
Hot on the heels of Stoke-on-Trent being named a World Craft City, and in the year that the city celebrates its centenary, the 2025 Biennial will spotlight leading contemporary ceramic artists and introduce work by fresh new talent, animating historic buildings and unexpected places with clay.
As well as staging the single largest ceramics event in the UK, British Ceramics Biennial runs an engaging year-round programme of artists’ commissions, learning and community projects in Stoke-on-Trent, with a vision of making change through clay. This feeds into the Biennial programme.
The 2025 British Ceramics Biennial programme will be presented in a range of spaces that draw on Stoke- on-Trent’s rich industrial past. Venue and programme details will be announced in spring 2025.
www.britishceramicsbiennial.com
