Janine Roper

Janine enjoys spending time in museums, where she takes inspiration from ancient Chinese vessels and English vases. She likes to look for more unusual pieces and those that are less sophisticated and often charming and amusing. Janines’ work is a personal response to these museum pieces, she does not attempt to imitate them but rather take some formal details and basic shapes and translate them in to her own language.

Her cups and flower bricks are inspired by 17th century Delfware, they are screen printed using oxides, mainly traditional cobalt blue. Her print design is based on vintage “Sunday best” tea sets and other domestic items from her personal surroundings but printed so that much of the detail is obliterated leaving only hints of the original design. She often prints more than once. The work is hand built. After the first firing they are glazed and re-fired and the magic happens as the beautiful colours of the oxides shine through.
Each piece is unique as they are individually screen printed and made completely by hand.

Anthony Theakston

Ceramics

His work is highly collectable and is considered by many to be an antique of the future. Although his distinctive designs concentrate on the bird form, he is loath to describe himself as a ‘bird sculptor’. It’s more their sculptoral shape, elegance and movement that intrigues Anthony. He is currently developing his eye-catching range and we can expect a dip into the abstract as he pushes and accentuates the strong, clean lines he favours.  He studied Ceramic Design at both Cardiff and Bristol (M.A. & Ist class honours). And has also lectured at Camberwell College of Arts and Crafts and many other institutions. Anthony’s work has appeared in several  books, including Time for Tea and Ceramic Sculpture.

Blandine Anderson

Ceramics – Stoneware

Blandine’s work explores her interest in creatures associated with the British countryside – both in a domestic setting and within the wider landscape. Her larger, stoneware pieces have a very bold, sculptural appearance. The small porcelain pieces are more detailed and representational.

She is fascinated by the way that a simple sculptural form can be totally altered by the addition of a creature.
Depending on the size and character of that animal – the effect can range from: giving it a sense of scale – to: completely disguising the original form.

Chiu I Wu

Ceramics

When Chiu was little, it was with pen and paper that she felt expressive.. drawing and drawing without thought.. The feeling never left her, and Chiu graduated to paint, study and then ceramics..

She studied in Taiwan, where she was born and grew up, during the early stages of creating and developing her work she held her first exhibition in Taipei. The exhibition was successful and she received commissions for both private and business clients..

She loves the process of creating and also showing her ceramics and paintings but when people ask about her work it is a difficult process to explain, she has no deep meanings, not ones that she recognises consciously;
She produces from her heart, sensing it feels right. The creative process becomes all consuming and fluid, making her aware that what she is creating feels correct and she just loves expressing it.

Ceramics was an adventure into clay and glaze, and she studied hard to be able to create the feeling she wanted.

Guy Holder

Ceramic

Guy creates wall hung limited edition ceramic birds. Each one perches on a branch.

He also has a collection of birds, this group was modelled while holding the piece in his hand as he studied the birds. They are like 3D sketches.

Ruthanne Tudball

Ceramics – soda glaze.

Ruthanne was born in California, near Majave Desert and moved to England in 1968, it was her surroundings of the desert that formed the initial inspiration for making pots. She then went on to study at Goldsmiths College in London.

Ruthanne uses design techniques in which soda and sodium carbonate are strong features . Sodium vapour glazing emphasises her work making the details considered within the finished glazes,of shiny or matt textures, shadows and highlights. Spouts and lips are a feature of her work and have a strong functional aspect. Each of Ruthanne’s pots are an original piece and as she expresses have an “honesty and integrity”.

Ruthanne was recently awarded first place in the acclaimed Texas Teapot Tournament 2007. The work is now on show in the museum in Houston.

Handmade still life ceramics

Horsechestnut

Still life in the true sense as these exquisite pieces of work are reflective ot the tromp l’oiel and early still life paintings of fruits and organic forms. Their detail is almost prefect in representational.
This stand- alone collection, established in 1984 by MA Ceramics graduates, Lorraine Taylor and Nicky Smart, is now considered the best in it’s field.
The attention to detail is paramount, each piece is individually considered, with several layers of glaze added to create both colour and texture, giving a ‘super-real’ effect and accuracy of finish.

Marcus O’Mahony

Ceramic bowls and pots.

Marcus O’Mahony graduated from the Limerick College of Art and Design in the mid seventies. Marcus spent many years teaching Art and Ceramics, mostly in Dublin. In 1993, he left Dublin to esatblish Glencairn Pottery in Lismore County. Waterford, Ireland. From 1999 to the present Marcus has taught ceramics at the Limerick College of Art and Design and the National College of Art and design. Marcus is a member of Irish Contemporary Ceramics and in 2001, became a founder member of the Irish Wood, Salt, Fire Potters Group. In 2004 he was elected professional member of the Crafts Potters Association UK and he is also a member of the German Potters group Kalkspatz.

Marcus’s work is mainly wheel-thrown functional reduction stoneware which is decorated by drawing, combing, stamping and faceting into the wet clay. The work is fired in one of two kilns, a catenary-arch gas kiln and a three chambered wood-fire kiln.