Hello, my name is Kitty. I make and sell functional, domestic ware pottery, in my studio in Salcombe, Devon.

A couple of years ago, I felt that I would like to try pottery. After one or two, introductory lessons with a lovely local potter, I bought my first wheel – which I had to drag from the back of a chicken shed. It had a head with a wobble and was very loud. 

Almost immediately, I found that throwing was something which I wanted to do all of the time. I am not an “arty” person – at least, I wasn’t in school – so I was surprised at how I took to it. After a lot of mentoring and some hideous failures, I started to imagine my life and how it would be if I were a potter. 

Initially, I felt guilty for wanting to make a living making pots. Where I live, pursuing the arts as a career is something generally considered with skepticism – it is quite rural here and there aren’t a lot of opportunities for people who want to do this. But, last year, I thought, “bugger it! It is what I want to do…”. So I started making, with the intention to sell. 

My first studio was in the vestry of a local church. It was a lovely place for me to make and find inspiration. But, before long, I had pots everywhere and couldn’t swing a wareboard without knocking something over!

In October, 2023, I opened my studio on Island St, Salcombe. 

I love that I am now able to make and sell in the town where I live and grew up. My new studio allows people to come in, off the street and watch me work. They are able to see how my pottery is made, from wiring off clay, to throwing, glazing and firing. If they want to buy my wares, they can – straight off the shelf. 

A bit about my work…

I have found that I tend to gravitate towards clean, modest designs. My mentor and friend, who is a potter of years, taught me the traditional techniques which inform my work. I make my own glazes – their intention is to enhance the form of my pottery, not to dress it up. What I love the most, is that a thing can be both beautiful and useful – it is with this in mind, that I make.