philip heath | pottery
I have always been interested in clay and the process of making things with it. I find the subtlety of variation in the shape of pots and how this relates to their look and function intriguing, and I love the way in which making ceramics connects us across history and cultures.
In my own work I make functional domestic pottery, in both stoneware and earthenware, influenced largely by European pottery traditions and using single-firing techniques.
With stoneware pots I am interested in the use of simple, often wood-ash, glazes, while with earthenware my focus is on using ‘wild-clay’, and on slip decoration. In both areas it is important to me to find ways of working which are as simple, direct, and sustainable as possible.
I am also interested in aspects of historic pottery, in particular medieval pottery in Britain and Europe, both in the the forms themselves, which are an influence in my own pots, and in the techniques used by medieval potters. Through this has come involvement with an experimental archaeology project digging clay, making pots and constructing and firing medieval-type wood-fired kilns.
More on all these things can be found under the about link above, on the Lossenham Pottery Project page, and in the journal pages.
We are in the midst of moving and currently I do not have a functional workshop, so all the ceramics work I am doing at the moment is associated with the Lossenham Pottery Project.
© 2025 philip heath | pottery
