Makers Directory

I am a ceramic artist living and working in Hampshire.

My work is influenced by an interest in the natural world; a love of farm life and the surrounding countryside. I strive to capture something quirky and unique in each piece I create and I hope my work captures my personality. It’s important to me that each piece tells its own narrative. Working in stoneware I use natural oxides, underglaze stains and polymers on the clay surface, occasionally embellished with galvanised steel wire for a contemporary feel. My ceramic work is priced from £60-£500.

My work has been shown at Southampton Art Gallery, St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Mottisfont, (National Trust), Sherfield School and at The Grange, Northington (English Heritage).

Though primarily a metalworker (cast iron, forged steel, copper…) recent work development has resulted me to working with porcelain – a return to ceramics. My training has spanned across the ‘Craft’ and ‘Art’ disciplines, as does my work. Experimentation is key to the development of my work, which is inspired by the livestock & plant life found in my natural environment ~ particularly the tiny details; the curl of a new shoot; the structure of a seedpod; the hipbones of a dairy cow. My concerns over intensive farming and human impact on the environment also influence what I do.

Kate Bufton’s work is an ongoing exploratory development, manipulating the shape and form of old books. The physicality of old books is an important inspiration for her work. The stained pages hold many unknown possibilities. The rough textures and musty smells help with progression throughout her practice as she continues to explore their physical structures. By altering the original form of books through various cuts and folds they are transformed from a carrier of text to an object of art.

Julieann is a graduate of the Tapestry Department, Edinburgh College of Art and is a Crafts Council Award recipient. She has developed her love of eccentric weaving into three dimensions to create lively and whimsical woven wire animals, birds and figures suitable for indoor and outdoor display.

Julieann strives to capture the essence of her subject through quick sketches translated directly into sculpture. She now lives in Wiltshire and spends hours sketching in the fields around her home and studio from where she also runs workshops and courses.

Examples of Julieann’s tapestry and sculptural forms can be found in public and private collections nationally, including the V&A. In Spring 2012 she was commissioned to design and create 50 new wire sculptures for The Conran Shop inspired by the ethos “Less is More’.

I’ve been lucky to always inhabit a world in which Selotape, string, paper and cereal boxes are plentiful…. And to have been surrounded by lovely folk who’ve encouraged me and put up with the mess! After initially training as a Theatre Designer, and working for several years in the Art education sector, I use these […]

Laura Thomas is an award-winning woven textile artist and designer producing striking artworks for the contemporary interior. Educated at Birmingham City University, The Royal College of Art and ASF-Weave, Laura established her studio practice in 2003 when she moved back to Wales. Laura divides her time between public and private art projects, design consultancy, curation, […]

Little Burrow Designs is the whimsical repurposed sculpture world of mixed media artist Claire Read. Each piece, or “storybox”, is created entirely by reworking vintage and antique objects and curios, often with a combination of vintage textiles. Most storyboxes are one-off, unique sculptures. A few are possible to recreate, although will never be identical, and […]

The influence of the coastal environment of West Wales, my childhood landscape, and the natural beauty of Dorset, where I now live, permeate the sculptural ceramics that I produce.
A background in precision engineering has trained me to work with a meticulous eye for tight tolerances, refined lines and defined angles.
My interests in nature and contemporary architecture have been incorporated to create pieces that contain the essence of natural forms in shapes that have clarity of line and beauty in simplicity.
All my work is handbuilt using slabs of stoneware clay and I construct each piece individually without the aid of moulds. The modelling and carving of the finer detail ensures each piece is unique. Following bisque firing to 1000°C, I apply my own glazes and finally fire to 1250°C.
I gained my BA Ceramics degree at West Wales School of the Arts in 2007.

Melanie Tomlinson works with illustration and metal to create vibrant and intensely detailed artworks that reflect her deep love and passion for nature. She is particularly interested in the role of traditional folk narrative to explore the complex relationships between communities and the natural world. She has developed and refined her specialist techniques for printing […]