Fiona hails from Scotland and following studies in Anthropology, in Europe and the Near East, she returned to Britain to settle in North Wales.

Formerly known as Fiona Brown Wilkinson, her equine sculptures are her trademark, but certainly not the only animal she sculpts in three distinctive styles. Several historical influences can be seen in her work, as well as a deep knowledge of her subject.

A recent move to a new home and studio in on the Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) has provided Fiona Clai Brown with the opportunity to experiment with raku and smoke firing, however, the main body of her work remains high-fired stoneware. Fiona Clai Brown has work in private and public collections around the world, is a permanent exhibitor at The Chapel of Art and contributor to The International Potters' Path

The origins of Dartington Pottery lie in the early 1930's when Bernard Leach and, later, his son David set up the first pottery at Shinners Bridge.

These inspirational beginnings were expanded upon when Sam Haile and his wife Marianne de Trey arrived in 1947 with Sam building two new kilns. Sadly Sam, a dynamic and innovative ceramic artist, died in a car crash in 1948. His wife Marianne, alone and pregnant, carried on. Miraculously she not only created a pottery producing desirable ware but also established an apprenticeship scheme which both echoed the earlier Leach initiative and anticipated Dartington's world- renowned training ethos of today. In 1983 the Dartington Pottery Training Workshop took over the premises and sold the enterprise to a triumvirate of potters including Stephen Course who now co-owns the Pottery with Sue Cook. Stephen is an internationally acknowledged expert on glazes.

The 1980's saw tremendous success utilising groundbreaking new designs from Janice Tchalenko who is currently leading a further design renaissance at Dartington. Their determination to remain a cutting edge art pottery and a centre of training excellence remains the vital motivation at Dartington and has attracted such talented designers as Petra Tilly, Avis Murray, Roger Law and Alexandra Copeland as well as developing considerable talent through the training programme.

Today Dartington Pottery is eagerly sought both in its standard designs, in limited editions and individual artist's 'one-off' pieces.

Dartington remains one of the world's leading potteries specialising in the technically challenging but aesthetically rewarding art of reduction fired stoneware utilising outstanding reactive glaze effects

Featured in The Guardian and included in the original 'Heal's Discovers' collection of new and influential design talent in 2004, Ken Eardley's range of vibrant, hand made, hand decorated and highly collectable ceramics are now available for the very first time in Lancaster.

Born in Liverpool in 1962

Studied at West Surrey College of Art and Design.
Travelled and worked in potteries in France, Norway and Denmark.
Set up Selborne Pottery in Alton Hampshire.

All the work is hand thrown and turned stoneware. No machines or moulds are used and the traditional techniques have taken many years to perfect. The pottery does not try to mimic the past but draws on skills rarely practiced today. Combined with high temperature stoneware glazes, fine brushwork, wax resist and glaze trailing, the finished pots with rich copper red and cobalt blue glazes are both functional and decorative whilst still having a contemporary look. On the Specials range, gold lustre is hand decorated on to the stoneware pot and then fired again adding a luxurious opulence not normally found on studio pottery. The glazes and pigments are made up from raw materials in the pottery and are fired in a gas kiln to over 1300 Celsius. This fuses both clay and glaze together in an impenetrable bond, giving the pottery both its brightness and its depth of colour. Although decorative, the pots have been designed to be used and are oven and dishwasher safe.

The pottery is also sold in New York and in galleries along the west coast of America. In 1999 the pottery received recognition for its gold lustre range as a winner in the prestigious Gift of the Year Award. In January 2001 Robert Goldsmith was commissioned to produce nine white stoneware bowls with platinum and gold calligraphy as awards for London First Millennium Awards. Recipients included British Airways, Metropolitan Police, Croydon Tramlink, Tate Modern and a personal bowl to Joanna Lumley for presenting the awards.

Amanda hails from Cumbria, and now lives in Suffolk. The initial inspiration for the clocks evolved from a visit to Venice, and the Clock Tower in the Piazza San Marco particularly impressed Amanda. On her return she decided to develop a range of clocks that expressed energy, detail, colour and an element of fun. From here the range has grown from traditional mantle clocks, to wall clocks, and unique large-scale works. The surface decoration is a combination of glaze, paint effects, and gilding. The clocks also incorporate some pendulum designs.

"I graduated with a degree in Ceramics and Glass, and I have been fortunate to enjoy a variety of jobs in the field of Art and design. This includes working as a graphic artist for children's wear which I believe inspired some of the character behind the clocks. This experience combined with an interest in Ceramics, Architecture, and Textiles has led to the development of my current work."

Stephen studied at Lancaster Art College. After graduating in 1979, he became potter in residence at Shrewsbury school. He then went to Canada to teach for a brief period before returning to England in 1982 to set up his own workshop, making domestic earthenware. It was not until 1996 that he developed an interest in Raku fired pottery, responding to its immediacy and the direct relationship between fire and clay.

In 1997 he moved studio, and after 15 years making functional items, he now works in a barn in rural Lancashire, solely producing Raku and smoke fired ware.

"I have always had a keen interest in the countryside, and to a certain degree my work has reflected this. Now it forms the basis of my work. I love the natural colours from the wood smoke and the effects created on the clay. The things that live and grow around me produce the starting points for new designs and decorations."

Krukker Ceramics is run by Rob and Vicky Whelpton. Born 1952, Rob Whelpton trained at North Staffordshire Polytechnic. After working at the National Museum and Art Gallery, Botswana as a background artist and living and working in Denmark, he trained in ceramics at the Dartington Pottery Workshops in Devon. In 1985 he established his own workshop in Wiltshire with his wife Vicky. He is a member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen.

Kukker produce individual raku fired pieces, with decoration drawn onto pots using a scalpel and coloured with slips & metallic salts.

Exhibitions include Beaux Arts, Bath; Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh; Montpellier Gallery Stratford; Porticus, Llandridnod Wells; Simon Drew Gallery, Dartmouth; Courcoux and Courcoux, Salisbury; Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey; Black Swan Guild, Frome; Dorchester Gallery; Dartington Cider Press Centre and 3D Gallery, Bristol.

"We use themes associated with legend, architecture, fairy tales and witchcraft, to create somewhat whimsical ceramic pieces. Medieval manuscripts and artwork provide colour and symbol inspiration, especially that of chivalry and courtly love."

The work is original, designed, handmade and hand glazed, by Michelle whitehead in her studio within Sherwood Forest. Predominately clay, often combined with metal, glass, and gemstones, fired to earthenware temperatures. Through care and attention to detail you can be sure that each piece is an individual work of art, with no two pieces being the same, a special and unique gift.

Deborah comes from a family of artists (her father the famous typographer Bertold Wolpe, her mother a sculptress) she became a potter which allows a rather more practical use of the three-dimensional than does sculpture.

After workshop experience at Rodmell Pottery, Sussex, she studied ceramics at Camberwell School of Art. Deborah spent a year at Joshibi Art College in Tokyo, plus four years making and selling pottery there. She is very much influenced by the Japanese economy of line and from, as well as Roman and medieval objects.

She lives and works in Buckinghamshire.