The Dual Process of a Studio Potter: Designing and Making

As a studio potter, my work begins long before the clay touches the wheel. Sometimes it starts with an itch of an idea and I’m often not sure how that itch got into my head in the first place. I would love to think it was something that I have invented all by myself, but I’m not naive enough to ignore all of the influences that are everywhere around me. Other times, design ideas smack me square in the face and I know exactly how I will be spending the next session in the studio. 

Potters take basic familiar forms, that we see in our everyday life, and try to make them better by personalising with their own unique style. I can’t lie - it’s a lot of fun. 

I was recently having a cup of tea with a good friend at a local cafe. Her tea came very nicely presented in a cup and saucer with one of those teabags attached to string to make it easier to fish out. To my surprise she tutted and dangled the teabag above the cup and said “I don’t like it when they do this. If I put this in my saucer it will make my cup all drippy. I wish they’d give me a separate saucer to sit the teabag on”. This was one of those ‘smack me in the face’ moments - I knew exactly the kind of saucer needed. 

I logged the idea and had a lovely afternoon chatting and finishing the drippy cups of tea. When I got to the studio the design was quickly sketched onto my pad. The next step will be to work out measurements and make a few prototypes. 

The saucers will then be tested; I think the only expert I trust will be my friend, she clearly has high tea-drinking standards. Any suggestions will be taken on board and the design fine-tuned and made again. The ongoing conversation of designing, making and using pots feed each other until the piece feels and looks right. 

The final step will be to name it and I know exactly who it will be named after.