Fiona Kelly

I’ve been making pots for over 40 years after evening classes at Goldsmiths’ College in the 80s. Since that time I’ve always tried to fit in potting with family and work commitments, and have been able to concentrate on my pots much more in the last 15 years. Most of my work is thrown on the wheel, decorated (mainly with fish) and twice fired in an electric kiln, using slips and glazes I developed at Goldsmiths’. I use a stoneware clay and like to make functional items, suitable for use in the home. My work is constantly evolving, the fish became my most used decorative motif after I put the handles on my squared off dishes and thought they looked like sardine tins. New items are added often following commissions or exhibitions I’m invited to join. Clay, and the whole ceramics world has become something of an obsession. It is a magical material. starting with a soft, flexible ball of clay and transforming it by hand and fire into an item which could be in use for generations is endlessly fascinating.