West Forest Potters

Tim Kennedy

I hand-build ceramic vessels from mixed clays, allowing their grit, weight, and natural rhythm to guide each form. Inspired by the textures, muted colours, and structures of the natural world, I shape the work through pinching and press moulding, leaving subtle traces of touch. Glazes and oxides settle into the surface, creating earthy ceramic forms grounded in material and process.

Suzanne Needham

I create fine porcelain ceramics that capture the ephemeral beauty of nature’s changing seasons. Through hand-building techniques I preserve the delicate details of fallen leaves, evergreen sprigs, emerging shoots and wild grasses, embedding real flora into the porcelain to leave their ghostly impressions behind. Each piece is then carefully hand-painted, evoking the quiet poetry of the natural world.

Penny Murray

I enjoy producing a wide variety of functional pots for daily use. The speckled
stoneware clay breaks through a white glaze giving an organic feel to the pot.
Double dipping with glazes, some random results with Chun base glazes plus the
randomness in a gas kiln’s reduction firing and the interest can last a lifetime!

Penny Ascough

I’ve always loved creating with my hands. After joining an evening pottery class in 1986 with two fellow physiotherapists, I discovered a lasting passion for working with clay. Inspired by the sea, plants and woodland, I enjoy making varied, unique pieces. Whether hand‑built or wheel‑thrown, I explore different techniques to craft work for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Monica Garcia-Alonso

I am an artist with a City & Guilds qualification in Ceramics (2000). For some time, my practice shifted to glass before returning to ceramics four years ago. I now create wheel-thrown and hand built functional and decorative pieces, characterised by vibrant colours and textures that frequently incorporate glass elements.

Mick Dixon

Since 1974 I have worked with my wife Lesley at our pottery Bartley Heath Pottery (now Closed) near Odiham making mainly gas fired domestic stoneware. I have recently returned to making slipware influenced by the work of contemporary slipware potters like Russell Kingston and Ben Fosker while also experimenting with stoneware recipes that work well in an electric kiln.

Martin Eastabrook

There are so many techniques in Ceramics that I am lured into experimentation.
Primarily with technically difficult glazes using stoneware reduction firings and diverting into forms of Raku. Many of the pots do not see the public gaze but it is the learning by experience and lucky mistakes that keep my interest. I’m always searching for the “near” perfect pot!

Margaret Tatton-Brown

My pots are thrown on the wheel using stoneware clay. They are fired twice in an electric kiln with the second firing reaching 1,265C. This high temperature makes them strong, microwave and dishwasher safe and a pleasure to use for many generations. I like simple shapes with complex decoration inspired by the flowers in our garden.

Lisa Binnie

Since 2006, I have been throwing functional pottery - experimenting with different clays & firing techniques and mixing my own glazes and slips. Recently, I’ve explored raku firing, bringing sculptural variety to my work. I also organise ceramic events and teach lessons, which supports my artistic growth and allows me to share my passion for ceramics with others.

Kevin Akhurst

I make functional and decorative stoneware. I prize complex and subtle glaze effects and I use a wood-fired kiln, adding salt and soda to create and modify glazes. Many of my pieces are thrown on a wheel and then altered in shape. I like to accumulate levels of complexity in my surfaces, which reveal their secrets slowly over multiple viewings.

Kate Ellison-Bourne

Influenced by forms and patterns within nature, I find ceramics engage the senses via feeling and textures. I love the narrative of the process and connection between potter and recipient.
I combine functionality and durability with aesthetics in hand-built crank clay plants pots.
I also sculpt animals in crank and stoneware, using my sketchbook to paint and simplify the form.

Karen Bolt

I work mainly with the extremes of fine porcelain and sandy crank clay, producing hand-built functional, decorative, and sculptural pieces. I am inspired by the shapes and colours found in my garden, North Cornwall’s rugged coast, rock pools, coral and the changing light and texture.

Jo Pendennis

I have been potting since 1997, beginning with evening classes and gradually finding my own rhythm in clay. Today I work from a studio in my garden. I love throwing and hand building, fire mainly in an electric kiln, and occasionally embrace raku. My current passion is garden pots in crank or stoneware, while my raku work remains small scale.

Irene Baumhardt

I hand build pieces inspired by forms and textures from the landscape and colour palettes from nature.
Each piece is unique, embracing material imperfections and makers marks.
My interest lies in developing surface marks and multi layered glazing to expose narratives in the base forms and shapes.

Inge Hutchins

I have been a potter and gardener for 35 years and produce many outdoor and organic looking vessels. I also work with finer clay for indoor ornaments. I am influenced by ancient cultures and love the charm of ageing materials.

Gill Harrison

After retiring from teaching, I began pottery classes locally. I was given a kiln so was able to start working at home. I like experimenting with different decorating techniques but now mainly prefer to paint my work with underglazes. I love visiting museums and galleries, where I often find inspiration and also take ideas from the world of nature.

Fong Scott

I am a visual artist; and have loved making things all my life. My blue and white flower bricks began with an idea for an anniversary gift. Individually hand crafted, each one has its own unique charm, an inner smile, and a connection with nature. I am continually developing my making process and my clay journey continues. Making is happiness!

Dawn Carroll

I have been working in clay for over a decade and found my passion for clay while doing a fine art degree. Each piece is crafted by hand, using slab-building and hand-building techniques. I find beauty in the small details and through my creations, I aim to reflect the harmony, wonder, and subtle connections we share with the natural world.

Anna Novak

I started making pottery over 20 years ago, returning to clay six years ago after a long break. I hand-build every piece using slab and coil techniques, creating colourful, nature-inspired ceramics that combine the purpose of decoration and everyday use. Each unique piece is made to bring joy, warmth, and character into daily life.

Amel Gembidge

My ceramic work is contemporary focusing on sleek lines, playful forms and colour juxtaposition. My inspiration is drawn from the wonders of geology coupled with the ordered balance of geometry. I combine wheel throwing with hand building techniques to create functional and sculptural pieces that I hope will not only delight but will also intrigue and be thought provoking.

Alice Francis

I use real leaves and fossils to add texture and patterns to my ceramics, or take other inspiration from nature. I love the way that pottery can be part of your everyday life, and the joy of a big handmade mug that fits your hand. I’m currently experimenting with smoke-firing to create unpredictable reactions on decorative pottery.