People often ask me “Why Hags Pottery?”

They seem a little surprised that I would choose such a name - with all its negative connotations - for an essentially positive creative venture at this stage in my life. I also wondered whether people would be comfortable dropping their children at Hags Pottery for fun creative workshops. But the more I explored the idea, the more it resonated with me.

Highlights from After-School Pottery

A beautiful collection of plates and bowls has emerged from this term’s After-School Pottery Club. The group is a lively mix of beginners and some who’ve been with Hags Pottery for over two years - and their progress really shows.

Throughout the Spring Term, they’ve explored a range of hand-building techniques, including pinch potting and slab work using moulds. Some even had a go on the wheel for finishing touches, when time (and supervision) allowed.

A Trio in Conversation

For the final project of my ceramics diploma, I set out to create a set of three vessels - a triptych that speaks to itself through form, surface, and story. It’s been quite the journey, full of experimentation, discovery, doubt, and delight. Below, I’ve gathered highlights from the process, originally shared in real-time on Instagram.

There is so much more to running a pottery studio than spending idle hours at the wheel throwing and turning beautiful objects.

After three years of firing, lots of people learning to glaze, tons of experimenting and even more mistakes, my kiln shelves were covered with drips and patches of glaze. New kiln shelves are expensive so it really makes sense to learn how to grind them down, in order to start again!

A little summary of some of my work from 2024.

The learning curve has been steep and its good to recap and reflect on this year.

This Christmas I took part in my first Christmas market where I sold a selection of my work.

Thank you to everyone at Friends of Donhead at Donhead Preparatory School, who organised this event, and to everyone who supported me, bought something, chatted to me or helped me set up.

This week’s pottery classes - both the Friday morning and after-school classes - have been all about creating delicate porcelain Christmas tea lights.

This year, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Wimbledon Arts Trail as part of the Merton Arts Festival. I opened my home and studio to visitors, and also hosted two fantastic artists (Dana Megan Marchant and Rebecca Shillingford) who showcased their work in the garden.

Handmade Vases, Dishes, and Dog Bowls

A huge well done to this lovely group of ladies who recently completed their ceramic pieces after four creative sessions in the studio. Between them, they made a fantastic collection of vases, dishes, and dog bowls - each one unique and full of personality.

In December 2023, I completed the first module of my Ceramics diploma at West Dean College.

Our brief for the following term was to make a piece of sculpture responding to a garden environment.

I decided to make a three-tier working fountain for my own garden - an ambitious project, documented on Instagram. The highlights are shared below.

Little hands have been busy in our after-school classes this term - shaping, pinching, and forming clay into delightful creations. From the very first pinch of clay to the final glaze firing, it’s been such a joy to watch these young makers bring their ideas to life.

Hags Pottery took part in our local Art in the Park event last weekend, we had the joy of working with children and their families to create beautiful ceramic leaf prints - capturing the intricate details of nature in clay before glazing and firing them to preserve their delicate textures. Watching young hands press leaves into soft clay, discovering the veins and edges that would later emerge in vibrant colour, was a magical experience.

One teacher’s renovation of her 1920s inspired a career change – and a pottery school in her garden. Here’s how she cracked it.

Hugh Graham, The Sunday Times, Sunday August 6th 2023

… teaching a range of ceramics classes to adults and children in my garden studio, while learning and experimenting with this incredible art form as I study for my ceramics diploma. I combine this with my work as artist educator as part of the Courtauld Gallery learning team.

This term at Hags Pottery after-school classes, we embarked on an exciting journey - designing and creating miniature buildings from clay.

A Pottery Project Full of Patterns & Precision

In January, our after-school classes resumed at the studio with an exciting project — designing unique patterns to transfer onto clay tiles and plates. The children dove right into the creative process, experimenting with different shapes, colors, and designs, each one eager to make their own mark. The designs were transferred onto plates, and the students began to learn the importance of balance and proportion, setting the foundation for their next steps.

Our after-school class has been busy creating stunning ceramic tiles this term, and the results are fantastic!

The children began by sketching their designs on paper before rolling out the clay, using guides to ensure an even thickness. Next came the exciting part - adding shapes, textures, and patterns to bring each tile to life.

Creating a dedicated slab for recycling and wedging clay is essential for any pottery studio. It provides a firm yet absorbent surface that helps remove excess moisture while keeping the clay workable.

This is how I made one for Hags Pottery this week, from start to finish.

A wonderful afternoon talking, making and learning in the studio. Perfect downtime for busy women.

All the Christmas Trees made is safely out of the kiln - with not a crack in sight!

I thought I would share the results of our first three weeks of classes in our Garden studio.

Children began by learning how to prepare or ‘wedge’ the clay, and made simple pinch pots, formed into the shape of their choice.