Blog

  • Plates with Purpose, Messums West
    Plates with Purpose is an exhibition at Messums West to raise funds for two charities, The David Nott Foundation and Hope and Homes for Children, both charities helping people whose … Read more
  • Stone Lane Sculpture Exhibition
    In summer 2023 I took part in a sculpture exhibition in Stone Lane Gardens near Chagford on the edge of Dartmoor. The garden is found at the end of a … Read more
  • Oeiras Ceramic Art exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal
    I had a week in Portugal in October 2023, teaching glaze workshops and visiting Oeiras Ceramic Art exhibition. I was invited to be an ambassador for the exhibition, together with … Read more
  • Glaze workshops 2024
    I will be teaching a number of ceramic glaze workshops during 2024 I will be travelling to various studios around the UK and Europe to teach ceramic glaze workshops which … Read more
  • Pathways Art Trail
    I recently took part in Pathways Art Trail, Hook Green Wood in Kent. Curated by Jemma Gowland and Jane Sarre, eight artists made art, sculpture and poetry inspired by the … Read more
  • Glaze workshop dates 2023
    Do you want to learn how to make your own glazes and understand what each material does in a glaze? I will be teaching a number of glaze workshops in … Read more
  • Wood firing at Kigbeare in Devon
    Recently I took part in a wood firing at Kigbeare in Devon. The firing took five days and involved seven potters. We each took 4 hour shifts, with 8 hours … Read more
  • Finished work at Guldagergaard
    I have really enjoyed my month at Guldagergaard. In my final weeks I fired the Speedy soda kiln again and took part in firing the anagama. This was a three … Read more
  • Wood firing at Guldagergaard
    I am now midway through my residency at Guldagergaard. We had a busy week firing two of the wood kilns. Ana, a Spanish artist and I got up early and … Read more
  • Residency at Guldagergaard
    I am a week into my month long residency at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre in Skaelskor, Denmark. There are several artists in residence here and new potters coming every … Read more
  • On Air at Ceramic Art London
    I really enjoyed exhibiting as part of On Air, an exhibition about air pollution at Ceramic Art London. The exhibition was curated by Dutch design duo Iris de Kievith and … Read more
  • Glaze workshop dates 2022
    I will be teaching a number of of glaze workshops in 2022. There will be workshops on understanding colour in glazes in London, Buckinghamshire, Sussex and Devon. I am excited … Read more
  • Glaze workshops 2021
    I will be teaching some glaze workshops again in 2021. These get full very quickly so make sure you book up soon. We will make a series of glaze tests … Read more
  • Why didn’t my glaze work?
    I often receive messages asking why glazes haven’t come out as expected. There are many variables that can affect the appearance of a glaze; glaze consistency, glaze application thickness, firing … Read more
  • New work for Collect 2021
    I have been making new work for Collect, the international art fair for exceptional craft and design presented by the Crafts Council. This year Collect will be online on Artsy … Read more
  • How to make your studio practice greener.
    Studio potters often worry about the large amount of energy they need to fire kilns to a high enough temperature to produce their ware. In addition, the materials they use, … Read more
  • New online glaze course: How Glazes Work
    Do you want to learn about glaze chemistry but don’t have the time to spend weeks on a course? I have been working on a new online course on how … Read more
  • Virtual open studios
    This year we are having a virtual open studio Artists Staying at Home. Painters, potters, printmakers and jewellers from Hammersmith, Chiswick and Shepherd’s Bush will be taking part. I will … Read more
  • Collect Open 2020
    I have been making new work for an installation at Somerset House as part of Collect, the international craft and design fair presented by the Crafts Council from 27th February … Read more
  • Glaze course dates 2020
    I will be teaching more glaze courses in 2020. Learn about mixing glazes, colouring oxides, colour blends and glaze chemistry. 1-2 August 2020 Forest Row School of Ceramics, Forest Row, near … Read more
  • New glaze books
    I have been busy writing two glaze books; the first is a second edition of my book Colour in Glazes, out in October and the second is a new book … Read more
  • Weekend glaze course
    Last weekend I went to Burnt Earth Studio in Forest Row to teach a glaze course with potter Candice Coetser. We spent the first day mixing up a base glaze … Read more
  • Jurassic coast
    We recently visited the Dorset Jurassic coast, so named because it features layers of Jurassic limestone: 145 million year old Portland stone and Purbeck stone, as well as layers of … Read more
  • Glaze course dates 2019
    I will be teaching more glaze courses in 2019. Learn about mixing glazes, colouring oxides, colour blends and glaze chemistry. 13-14 April 2019 Forest Row School of Ceramics, East Sussex. … Read more
  • My summer of making
    Since the end of June I have been working on a very large order for G&G Goodfellows, who are supplying a new restaurant in Woolsery, Devon. I first met G&G … Read more
  • Artists at Home Open Studios 2018
    I’m looking forward to this year’s Artists at Home open studios. I will be showing new work, one-off pieces, porcelain tableware, as well as samples and seconds. The roses are in … Read more
  • Design Nation at London Craft Week
    Design Nation put together a lovely exhibition called Head, Hand and Heart with talks and demonstrations during London Craft Week 2018. The exhibition was held in Helen Yardley studio, where … Read more
  • Glaze articles in ClayCraft Magazine
    I have been writing a regular glaze  article every month for ClayCraft magazine, a new pottery magazine available from WHSmith. ClayCraft magazine includes pottery tips, projects to make by Kevin Millward … Read more
  • Glaze and throwing courses 2018
    I am teaching several courses this year, both in the UK and in Belgium. 5-9 February, Belgium, Colour and glaze and Throwing porcelain in the Art Academy of Heist-op-den-Berg and … Read more
  • British Craft Pavilion at the London Design Fair
    In September I exhibited at the London Design Fair in the British Craft Pavilion curated by Hole and Corner magazine. Before the show, photographer Chloe Winstanley visited my studio in … Read more
  • Dialogues exhibition
    Last Saturday was the opening of our exhibition at Sarah Wiseman Gallery in Summertown, north Oxford. I met Sarah Spackman many years ago at a craft fair and she bought … Read more
  • Cornwall geology and pottery
    During our summer holiday in Cornwall we had a lovely walk along the SW coast path from Perranporth to Portreath, passing several abandoned mines and spoil heaps, great places to … Read more
  • Geology and everything
    I went to Bath at the weekend, walking from Bradford on Avon along the canal, then through a mile long railway tunnel cut into the limestone. In Monkton Combe we … Read more
  • Marks and Tools exhibition with Design Nation
    Last week I took part in an exhibition on Marks and Tools put together by Design Nation at Oxo Tower Wharf. The curator was Liz Cooper, who brilliantly pulled together all the … Read more
  • New book Science for Potters
    I am excited that my next book Science for Potters is coming out soon. The cover shows a pair of Atomic Bottles by Kate Malone, covered with atoms and crystals. The … Read more
  • Colouring oxides and their raw minerals
    Colouring oxides are added to glazes to produce colour. They dissolve in the glaze to produce transparent glazes with more depth than those made using commercial stains. I prefer to … Read more
  • Glaze materials 2
    Earthenware glazes are made mostly of frit, which is a kind of man-made feldspar. Borax, soda and other water soluble materials can be made insoluble by heating together with silica. The … Read more
  • Glaze materials
    Stoneware and porcelain glazes are made up of at least four ingredients: silica, feldspar, whiting and clay.  This is what they look like in their raw mineral forms. Silica is ground … Read more
  • “Hand of the Maker”
    Earlier this year the talented R&A Collaborations came to see me in London to make a short film about me and my work. This is the latest in their series of … Read more
  • Tableware for restaurants
    Over the last few months I have been solidly making tableware for restaurants, first 160 matt white plates for Luca in Clerkenwell, then 300 pieces including cake stands, plates and … Read more
  • Glaze course dates 2017
    I have been asked to teach several glaze courses in 2017. A new pottery school is opening in Forest Row in Sussex. I will be teaching glazes there 0n 17-19 … Read more
  • Colour chemistry
    My latest article, in Ceramics Monthly September 2016, explains the science behind colour. I am really interested in why things are coloured. When white light falls on certain objects, they … Read more
  • Colour
    Recently I have noticed a beautiful pink-grey-mustard colour combination in art, prints, textiles and interior design.   I have made a collection of porcelain bottles with the same colour combination. … Read more
  • Clay structure
    Clay is an amazing material. You can shape it and it holds its form, then you can fire it and it turns into stone. Under the microscope, clay is made … Read more
  • Chemistry for potters
    I often receive emails asking about glaze problems. It seems that students on ceramics degree courses are not taught very much about science or understanding the materials, but concentrate more on … Read more
  • Matt glazes
    I have recently finished teaching my glaze courses at West Dean and Morley College. Several students were interested in barium matt glazes. As barium carbonate is a toxic material, many … Read more
  • Studio drawings
    Last week artist Sophie Glover came to my studio. She is making a large series of drawings of people working in their studios. She is really good at telling a story, … Read more
  • Small Business Sunday
    On Friday I went by train to Birmingham for my third visit to the annual get together of Small Business Sunday winners. Every Sunday evening, Theo Paphitis of Dragon’s Den, … Read more
  • Maison et Objet Paris 2016
    I have been exhibiting in Paris at Maison et Objet with the British European Design Group. I took a selection of my Morandi inspired bottles and vases as well as … Read more
  • Celebrating ten years of cosy collaboration
    It has been ten years since my first collaboration with Ruth Cross, who designed cosies to fit my porcelain mugs and teapots back in 2006. Since then, we have sold hundreds of cosy … Read more