Fiona Kelly

First encountering clay aged 12 when attending a class with my Mum, it’s been the slow growth of a passion for clay. It is a magical material – starting with an unpromising lump of ‘mud’ and finishing with a piece that can last for several generations is extraordinary! Adult evening classes weren’t enough, so I did a part time training course at Goldsmiths’ College 1981-3, where Lisa Hammond taught me to throw on the wheel. Since then I’ve potted more or less consistently while having four daughters, and working in tourism and construction with my husband.

My work is mainly wheel thrown, twice fired in an electric kiln, decorated in slips and glazes that I mix myself from the raw materials. One of my best sellers are my squared fish dishes which I introduced after realising that the squared off dish looked like a sardine tin as I was attaching the handles. From there all the other fish designs have flowed. My soap dishes were introduced when a soap maker asked me to make some dishes for her, and are a joy to make with the freedom to use underglaze colours and many different designs.

This September we sold the Creative Gallery in Wareham which we’d owned since 2013, and I shall miss that regular contact with other makers and the public, but family takes precedence. I’ll still sell in local galleries in Wareham, Swanage, Dorchester, Weymouth and Romsey and attend fairs and events throughout the year.