Charmain Poole

I attended Cheltenham College of Art and Design and gained a BA in Sculpture. As part of that process I spent time in the Pottery Studio. I was fascinated. Later, after a career as an Art Teacher and then as a Management Consultant with British Telecom, I was inspired to do more than collect and buy pots.

A close friend of mine made beautiful domestic pots in Cornwall. It was such a pleasure to eat out of these lovely things and then to wash and dry up! Each pot to be seen again and admired.

I am fascinated by the relationship between food and pot; what makes a good pot and how these pots find a way of making themselves indispensable in the kitchen: I have a bowl that I always use to make bread in, another that I use for a lovely orange salad.

I have travelled around Mediterranean Europe for some years. My designs are a response to the sunlight and colour that is found by the sea. The blue and turquoise of clear water, fish that hide and feed amongst the seaweed, the blue of the sky. I make my pots out of Valentines red earthenware. They are mostly thrown on the wheel and then, when leather hard I apply white slip to the interior and exterior of the pot. When this has dried, I use body stains and slip to create my colour palette. All the designs are created by me and painted on by hand. When the pots are dry they are bisque fired to 1100C.
When the kiln is cool I remove all the pots and glaze them in a clear earthenware glaze which is fired to 1080C. All the pots are fired in an electric, top loading kiln. 

I hope you enjoy them.