It’s been two years 😮 since we were last there. Here’s a little selection of the ceramics on offer. This website introduces you to the 20 exhibiting potters over the next few weeks.

Do come along and see us. The barn is worth a visit in itself, but the ceramics will enhance your experience and it’s the perfect opportunity to buy something hand made and unique.

There’s no "have a go" this year - we’re maintaining covid safety, but you can ask questions of the potters and collect information about where you can enjoy the pleasures of clay yourself.

The Dacorum and Chiltern Potters Guild is a charity organisation run by volunteers with an interest in (and passion for) clay. If you would like to join or volunteer to take part in one of our events visit our website for membership information.

Memberships 2021/2 - Dacorum & Chiltern Potters Guild (dcpg.org.uk)

Ian Jones

Since retiring 7 years ago I studied Ceramics at Westminster Adult Education Service in Lisson Grove, London and three years later I attained a BTEC distinction in Ceramics Level 3.

It is the feel of the clay and the way I can work with it to create tactile forms which gives me particular pleasure.

I am a Thrower and I started with the usual Mugs and Jugs and Bowls mainly glazed in two tone colours and then Vases in White with black swirls introduced during throwing. My latest interest is Smoke Firing and Raku using the ancient method that treats the forms with Terra Sigillata (Sealed Earth). I then fire them in either a 21^t century Dust Bin. or my gas fired Raku Kiln. This can produce smoke so I warn my neighbours before firing.

Vivienne Rodwell-Davies & Danielle Bunker

Vivienne produces an exciting range of functional Stoneware & Porcelain ceramics. Thrown on the wheel & slab built. She combines strong tactile shapes with silky glazes. Black, white, soft greys & turquoise, with accents of re-cycled glass. Most pots are functional, to be used & enjoyed & compliment food & flowers perfectly.

Bisque Fired in an electric kiln to 1000c & Glost fired to 1260c. She also produces a range of ‘Raku’ fired ceramics which are mainly decorative fired to 1000c. Vivienne’s inspiration comes from her love of being outdoors – walking, drawing, swimming in lakes & the sea. Gardening, growing vegetables & flowers also compliment her ceramics.

Vivienne runs courses from her Studio in Barnet & teaches Part time at West Herts College

Margaret Tatton-Brown

Art has always been my passion. After two degrees in history of art, I am now a full time potter. My pots are thrown stoneware fired in an electric kiln. I like simple forms and complex decoration, which is often inspired by our wildlife garden. The distinctive style of my large platters has received international recognition in that they have been included in Lark books, 500 Plates & Chargers 2008, and Lark books, 500 Prints on Clay 2013, both published in New York.

Gay Crommelin

Making a mess is good for the soul! I love the magic of making things and getting mucky with the clay. Am a ‘hobby potter' working from the shed at the bottom of my garden in Ruislip and at the amazing Ceramics Fusion Club. Also experimenting with all sorts of other crafts, Kumihimo, Leather carving, Islamic design etc. Always learning!

Joy Trpkovic

My ceramics are entirely hand built using the simplest of tools. I aim to exploit the delicacy and translucency of high fired porcelain. I express playful interpretations of marine creatures and the movement of shoals in my wall pieces. Each installation of mini sculptures is unique. I enjoy the risk and surprises inherent in my work which I exhibit internationally.

Jackie Harrop

As a hobby potter I have experimented through courses in Japan, and Harrow college, becoming more confident than proficient, but enjoying experimenting with clay. Throwing pots in my small garden studio centres me as I let the clay take over. My teapots, pots with lids. and mugs are improving, and test my patience, persistence and poses more of a technical challenge. The sculptures take more time and help me to slow down and let my imagination wander. I sell my pots through small galleries, markets, exhibitions and occasionally Etsy

Tony Bowler

My introduction to pottery, along with many others in the 1970’s, was through school.

As I approached retirement, seeking a creative outlet, I rekindled my interest in clay with evening classes. On retirement I had the opportunity to take up daytime classes, developing my skills, but it was an inspirational weekend Masterclass with Ashraf Hanna at the Clay College in Stoke-on-Trent that led me to concentrate on hand-built ceramics.

My current work is an exploration of form and textures using a simple contrasting colour palette. This reflects the whitewashed buildings, blue seas and sky and lush green vegetation of the Greek Islands seen on many a TV travel programme during lockdown!

Jerry Seaborn

Inspired by Japanese Pottery and hand made ware espoused by Bernard Leach, I make domestic pottery thrown on a simple kick wheel. This allows the shapes to be formed instinctively, and introduces a subtle asymmetry to the finished form that appeals to me. I like to decorate in the same instinctive fashion, using simple incised lines on the freshly thrown surface, and then sometimes a sponged surface decoration when glazing the pieces.

My pots are made in stoneware clay and are dishwasher and oven-proof. They are fired in either an electric kiln, or a wood fired kiln. The wood firing and making by a kick wheel, using locally dug clay and wood ash materials in the production, gives me that connection to how other cultures make the same items, and how I am following the same traditions and craftsmanship.

Patrick Joyce

I am a Hertford based potter and my current focus is on experimenting with dark heavily grogged clays, handbuilding vessels with beaten, sawn and carved facets. I use the raku firing process to give the pieces a blackened charred and metallic surface finish.

Fiona Booy

I make both sculptural and functional items. The former comprising mostly whimsical anthropomorphic vessels and chalices. The latter are highly tactile, with exteriors sanded to a fine swirling finish, complemented by bright and shiny interiors. The wheel is my creative channel – imbuing fluidity and motion, life and energy into my work. I like my creations to invite curiosity and intrigue – perhaps even a smile.

I am also a local pottery teacher, and set up the Make-at-Home Pottery Club over lock down – providing easy to follow video projects, clay kits with glazing and firing options

Amanda Westbury - Park Ceramics

My work is inspired by Nature; hand-built structures which examine the fragility and delicate sculptural forms of native plants and flowers. My studio is surrounded by park land which hugely influences the objects I create. I like to think that my sculptures and flowers bring the beauty of nature into the home.

My textured tile artworks explore the British countryside and the mountainous and coastal terrains of Greece. I am interested in the contours and contrasts of natural landscapes, how the shapes of the fields and hills change and begin to abstract during the cycles of daylight and moonlight. It seems fitting that my artworks are made from the earth and coloured with metal minerals such as iron, cobalt and copper oxides which are given an eternal life with fire. The ceramic pieces are then combined with bright glass fragments and found objects, to explore contrasts in texture and materiality.

Tony and Jill Baxter

We make pottery In stoneware, suitable for both indoors and outdoors. Our work is mainly coiled, moulded and slab built, with a small amount of wheel-thrown. We only use lead-free glazes.

Tony makes ornamental animals, using both natural and clay finishes and glazing. His work includes two dimensional animals infilled with glass.

Jill makes plant pots and holders suitable for windowsills, patios and gardens. Many of the shapes are inspired by prehistoric, Roman and Saxon pottery, but with contemporary finishes. Other work includes a range of smaller items, mainly decorated with underglazes

Nicole Lyster

I use a variety of clay; stoneware, earthenware, porcelain and crank and try to use it in as many different ways; throwing, slab building, coil building and sculpting. I mix my own glazes using oxides to colour them (though I admit to using stains if the outcome I want requires it) and like to try out different glaze methods; dipping, spraying, painting and wax resist. Such a variety of materials and methods results in a variety of ceramic pieces; functional, sculptural, fun and serious, but all made with care and consideration of the final piece. My clay adventures (the good and the bad) are posted on Instagram @nlceramics .

My work reflects my life caring for two children with cystic fibrosis. To be successful (and sane) in this situation one must be flexible and rigid at the same time, with infinite patience, an enormous sense of humour and an appreciation of the importance of fun whilst dealing with serious situations.

Amanda Rachel Toms

The ceramics I make are one-off or made in a small series. Inspiration comes mostly from the landscapes of the South Coast and the Chilterns. Forms are made with hand-built slabs, some items are also thrown on the wheel, at times I use the techniques in combination. Sculptural boats, vases and lidded boxes feature in my work. Special attention is given to developing rich surface qualities and colour through multiple techniques and the layering fired materials. Glazes are applied by pouring, dipping and with a brush, some pieces incorporate more detailed brush work using oxides and underglazes.

I am endlessly fascinated with the medium of ceramics, exploring different materials and mixing some of my own glazes. I have always held a passion for making things and the visual arts, from school I went to study an Art Foundation course at Portsmouth Art college 1988-1990, then studied ceramics at the University of Westminster, Harrow (graduating in 1995) over subsequent years I have worked as an Art technician at Harrow school, then as an Art teacher for eight years at North London Collegiate school and more recently as a pottery tutor at a community centre, as a self-employed artist, further images of my making process are on my Instagram account

Linda Cavill

The built environment is a constant source of inspiration for my work. I create semi abstract mixed media collage paintings of places visited and they in turn inform the surface decoration of my vessels and wall panels. My ceramics are handbuilt utilising slabs or flattened coils in a variety of clay bodies. I use various techniques including scraffito,inlay and printing to apply slips and underglazes to create depth and texture.

Les Parrott

I make very high-fired porcelain and stoneware studio pottery that is sold via craft fairs, local markets commissions and exhibitions.

Emily Good

'I make small, earthenware items for use around the house and kitchen, often inspired by what I need myself. As a starting point for decoration ideas, I look to patterns that are under our noses but often go unnoticed, or I have a rummage through the recycling bin to see what I could use as a tool! I am increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of what I do which means that my wares are small, once fired and decorated using the most basic materials. As a sideline, I make very simple jewellery, using discarded fishing tackle and copper wire. All jewellery findings are sterling silver

David Evans

I have always enjoyed getting my hands into clay, it’s the thrill of seeing a pot emerge from an inert lump of clay. Having spent my working life as a graphic designer, I suppose it’s inevitable that design plays a large part in my pots. Never content to make a pot and just glaze it, I have to etch it, pierce it, modify its shape or put an illustration on it. I have a particular passion for pots with intricate cut outs. Ones which when placed on a sun-lit surface cast a shadow that moves and changes with time. This to me gives a pot a life of it’s own.

John Alderman and Bev Benson

John - Why do I love playing with mud? It feeds my need to create in many different ways. It’s a bit technical, a bit arty, a bit of luck, a lot of technique and a lot of practice. I draw on everything around me for inspiration, often coming back to textures and shapes in nature and replicating them in my work. I like to buld large, bold pieces, but equally enjoy the balance of more intricate and delicate work.

Bev - I have always been hooked on ceramics. I love throwing and, as a keen baker, I enjoy creating pie dishes, jugs, casseroles and bowls, which I use in my own kitchen and also sell. At the moment I am inspired by water in nature and have been creating indoor water features using the clay to represent other natural forms. I have always worked with children and put my successful career down to natural immaturity. I dp recognise that this tends to come through in my work, but hey, what’s a dragon between friends?