I fell in love with ceramics after attending a hand-building pottery class with my dad in 2015. The workshop was a gift I got for him for his birthday that we would attend together; he had spoken about his interest in doing pottery, so I thought I’d give him a little nudge in that direction.
I didn’t know it would actually be my gateway into the ceramics world instead. My dad hasn’t touched clay since!
I started making mugs by hand-building them out of a slab template and smoothing them out on a banning wheel that I spun by hand! My mugs were very heavy and ridden with wobbles. I learnt a lot throughout that time though.
Next was to purchase a second hand kiln and pottery wheel. After searching on Gumtree for a few months I came across a kiln. She had obviously seen a few years of hard labour but was in working condition. ‘Ethel’ found a home with me. The doors kept opening, and shortly after I found my wheel! Now, to learn how to use it. YouTube is an amazing thing, and after watching other potters’ throwing videos I finally caught on. I still have so much to learn but that’s the fun.
Now I make wheel thrown ceramics in small batches from my home.
I have four children that I homeschool, so finding a balance between clay time and being a mum is sometimes difficult but my girls always come first.
I’m so grateful for my customers that help me continue creating amongst my everyday life.
Katey x