Around 2020 just before Covid really got a grip on the world my lovely partner Jo gifted me an 8 week pottery course at a local Pottery studio near Petersfield run by a lovely man called Jack. A brilliant potter and a patient, talented teacher.
Suffice to say within a couple of sessions I was completely hooked with clay. After the smallest of delays; a wheel, a couple of bags of white stoneware clay, a few tools, some bottles of glaze and a kiln were duly purchased and the incredibly slow learning process began in earnest.
Throwing clay is one of those frustrating pursuits that looks really easy but in reality is incredibly hard to get consistent results and many hours of practice ensued. Amongst the frustration of not being able to make two pieces the same was the occasional win and it was these small miracles that made it all worthwhile.
Not being formally trained, YouTube was my best friend and a premium subscription soon followed to get rid of those annoying adverts and with my algorithm being filled with all the well known online potters I got inspiration from all over the world.
After a while I was happy enough to be able to sell some of my pots on Etsy and the story then really began. I’m currently developing lots of new forms, Recently I have begun hand building bowls using found form moulds and am also dabbling in the dark art of making my own glazes from the raw chemicals.
So why should you buy from a local potter? Well you can buy a bowl or mug from a supermarket for around £5, but there is something really personal and I think slightly mystical about a hand thrown object that makes it stand out, almost as though it has a soul. No-one looks in their cupboard in the morning and thinks about their favourite bowl from Asda, but I guarantee if you have some handmade pieces you will definitely have “that favourite one” and will want to use it all the time.
Please do have a browse in the shop and if you see anything that takes your fancy I would be honoured to have one of my pieces in your home.
