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We had two excellent days at our annual Social Firing in the lovely studio and grounds of Tarka Pottery. 34 members in total [17 on each day] took part in a wide variety of smoky pottery activities supported by a great team of voluntary helpers. As ever with WPA events like this everyone joined in with enthusiasm and we all…

From extracting clay to exporting your work, this is a practical guide to producing unique ceramic pieces with minimal environmental impact. Being a green potter is not an easy feat. Historically, a lot more attention is given to the finished pieces coming out of the kiln rather than to the damages made throughout the designing and making processes. In this…

Russell and his wife Suzi brought a number of his stunningly decorated pots with them. He gave us a very detailed and well presented demonstration of how he makes the forms. He then showed us how he decorates them with his delightful scenes reflecting Cornish folk traditions and legends often involving mermaids or sailors. He does this by applying black…

We held our annual social firing days in the lovely surroundings of Tarka Pottery at Little Torrington. We had two very successful and highly enjoyable days with 15 members on each day aided and abetted by ten helpers. After glazing our biscuit fired pots, we fired them in three raku kilns and also ran a barrel firing. This meant that…

We are absolutely delighted that Laurel has run a workshop for us in the lovely surroundings of Coombe Farm Studios in late October. What an enjoyable day was had by all, there will be a full write up in the magazine soon, but here are a few images from the day.

This summer saw the inaugural WPA firing of the Kigbeare Community Kiln. Over 1200 pots from 49 members were loaded into the kiln and fired over 5 days by a firing team of over 30 guided by a small core team with experience of such firings. It proved to be not only to be a good firing with some beautiful…

Fifteen members visited Michael’s studio on 16th May and enjoyed an inspiring day in the lovely setting of their house and studio deep in Devon countryside near Ashwater. Michael started by telling us about his pottery education and influences and about how he and Yvonne have developed a successful pottery business making and selling his popular and most attractive domestic…

Paul makes most imaginative and humorous sculptural work. The images he makes are dream-like and contemplative and play with the conventions of fairytales and fables, often turning stories on their heads and twisting them. Goldilocks has made peace with the bears and Red Riding Hood has grown up to be a confident femme fatale who entrances the Wolf. His style is…

In the morning session Peter gave a superb presentation and talk. He used a wide variety of wonderful photos of his work. Many photos showed the numerous countries he has visited, the people he has worked with and met there and their pottery traditions. This has clearly influenced his pottery and his thinking and philosophy. He spoke with great humour…

We enjoyed a really informative demonstration by Paul who showed us the techniques he uses to make his characterful and joyful sculptures. Paul will be attending a number of events this summer along with running a weekend masterclass in Italy.

Roughly 80 members and guests were treated to a fascinating talk and demonstration by Peter Hayes at this year’s event. As part of the business we welcomed a number of new committee members and a new Chair. Full details will be in the May/June magazine.

Over 60 members were treated to a fascinating demonstration by Sue Mundy. Sue explained her influences and her personal journey to her current practice. A full report will appear in the WPA magazine

What a wonderful weekend. We certainly celebrated 30 years of Westcountry Potters Association in such a great way with so many exciting things to take part in or to watch. It is almost impossible to pick out the high points as there were so many but what stands out most was the way in which everyone joined in with such…

For those who missed it, the recording of the Green Maker Initiative Webinar: Can Potters Save the Earth? is now available to watch here: Green Maker Initiative | Resources — MAKE Southwest

On Saturday 4th November 2023, Tim rounded off our 30th Anniversary year in style with a delightful, witty and far-ranging presentation followed by an inspiring demonstration after lunch.  All this was very much appreciated by the 120 members and guests who made up the full house audience many of whom took the opportunity of buying one of Tim’s pieces.

Mark demonstrated how he makes and decorates his highly distinctive sculptural and functional slip decorated pieces. The audience of over 50 learned so many useful tips about both slip trailing and stencil preparation and decoration. A full report will be published in our May/June magazine.