Our New Guest Maker - Kath Cooper

Our guest maker for October and November is Cheltenham-based ceramicist Kath Cooper.

We asked Kath to tell us about her career in ceramics:

'I first worked with clay at secondary school and knew this was going to be a life-long passion.

I gained a BA Hons Degree in Three-dimensional Design – Ceramics from Cardiff Art College in 1990 and have been involved in Ceramics in some way ever since.

I worked for five years at Prinknash Pottery and gained experience in various production techniques.  I went on to teach adult pottery classes for eight years and worked as a pottery and art technician in colleges and schools. I also ran ceramic sessions in school Art Weeks, including a large mural project.

I am still involved in teaching pottery to brain injury survivors at Headway, Gloucestershire.

I have always made my own work from my studio at home and have explored many techniques over the years including burnishing and smoke firing, raku glaze resist, throwing and traditional slip-trailing.

At present, I work in white earthenware and coloured slips and hand draw my designs using scraffito. I also use my own handmade ceramic stamps to make impressed designs into the soft clay.

Since 2008 I have been making and selling my work full-time through various art and craft events, shops, galleries, museums and online.'

Don't forget to pop into the shop to see Kath's work. You can read also more about Kath on her website