BRISTOL LIVES Feats of clay

HANNAH TURNER Her ever so slightly retro ceramics have made Hannah one of the most successful makers in Bristol; after all, nobody can resist a canine salt-and- pepper set, right?

Even if you don’t recognise the name (though you probably do), we bet you’ll recognise Hannah’s ceramic bestiary of perky, funny, cute (but never twee) birds and animals.

It all began with a sell-out art degree show at UWE; Hannah promptly took orders to make more of the designs sold in the show, found herself a local studio, and the business was born.

In 1992 I was awarded a grant to buy my first kiln. 1 continued creating sculptural creatures, mostly birds, sometimes fish; even wall-mounted moose heads°

Humour has always been evident in my work, and probably helped me ride the storm of two recessions. 1 gradually got my ceramics on display in galleries and shops, and gained loyal collectors along the way.

I took a break in 1999 to have children, then started working part-time. 1 also decided to change the way 1 worked, and started slip-casting; after much experimenting, 1 Roined forces with a small, family-run pottery in ;ri 4anka, and launched my first ranges of tableware in 11.

Using slipcasting and moulds has enabled me to outsource production, so 1 am now able to do the initial designs and prototypes here, but 1 don¼t have to worry about making all the pieces and can focus much more on new product development.

My degree show was inspired by taxidermy, and among the favourites were the little black

“I actually hate the feel of dry clay on my hands – ironic? ”

crows. 5y style is much more clean and stylised now, but 1 think you can still see the same kind of characters as there were in my degree show work. 1 am still very proud of my peacocks

I look at all sorts of areas for inspiration. 1 love mid-century ceramics for their surface pattern and form, especially 5idwinter. 1 also look at textiles, and lots of different printmakers.

I’ve recently re-joined Spike Island printmakers, doing some screenprinting, and working in that way helps me solve problems when doing new artwork to go on my ceramics.

I have a Jack Russell called Betty who features on my new *arklife dog-themed tableware and is also the inspiration for my new ;cruffy ,og salt and peppers.

My most exciting career moment was the day 1 had an order from 4iberty; )nthropolgie ordering from me was another very proud moment, as was seeing my designs on +¼s The Great Pottery Throwdown. 1 was asked to supply a peacock coffeebreakfast set; this was a challenge as they wanted a toast rack and coffee pot, neither of which we make. ;o our brilliant ;ri 4ankan pottery made some one-off samples for me, which 1 decorated here and sent to the <> production company.

We are doing everything we can to make the business sustainable. We have stopped Æying, and are trying to limit our carbon produced as much as we can, and also offset what we do by tree planting. We don¼t use plastics in our packaging, except for the odd bit of recycled bubble-wrap; all of our boxes are made from recycled card.

Bristol is where I trained and started my business; it¼s a city that really nurtures creatives.

I live on Dongola Road, Bishopston. 1 work in a studio in my back garden, so 1 have an easy commute. <his neighbourhood has everything 1 need, to the extent that 1 sometimes don¼t leave the area for days at a time.

My most regrettable habit? +raby schemes; 1 get very faddy and bore people to tears with my latest obsessions.

I listen to Radio 4, as 1 prefer background voices to music at work, and 1 get to learn things at the same time.

Immediately after answering these questions, 1¼ll be finishing modelling a penguin egg cup. 1 actually have clay on my hands that¼s now all over this keyboard. 1 actually hate the feel of dried clay on my hands · ironic'