Even before moving to North Devon I was fascinated by the local tradition of slipware pottery decorated with the sgraffito technique.
This is a ‘peasant’ style of pottery hand-made locally and used by ordinary people that was very popular from the seventeenth century until the early twentieth with centres in Barnstaple and Bideford. Only a few practitioners remain.
First you make your plate or jug from red clay and then dip it in white slip (clay diluted to the consistency of cream). To create the design you scratch through the white layer to reveal the red beneath.
My plates can be commissioned to commemorate weddings, births and other celebrations or just for fun. Prices varying according to size and the complexity of design.
For the last few years I have been collaborating with Philip Leach of Springfield Pottery, Hartland. Philip has been throwing a series of jugs which I have been decorating with sgraffito designs before returning them to Philip for glazing and firing.
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