Christine Hester Smith

I have been making pots for a living since 1978 when I graduated from Bath Academy of Art and set up the workshop in Dumfries and Galloway.  I have developed a range of cheerfully decorated slipware pottery, mostly thrown, the majority of which we sell from our own showroom. My work combines my love of illustration with the delights of three dimensional form and while many of the designs reflect Galloway - such as seabirds, boats or sheep, you are just as likely to find the odd crocodile or tiger making an appearance. Pictorial elements frequently include beaks and jagged teeth.

While the functional slipware has been the mainstay of the pottery, I have always made time each year to develop new ideas, which both keeps the work fresh and constantly pushes me to gain new skills.

In 2007, with the aid of the Dumfries and Galloway Craftmakers Award Scheme, I had the opportunity to go on an extruding course with Jim Robison, and since then, excited and stimulated by new making techniques I began to incorporate extruded  sections in my work. I was able to further develop these ideas and embark on the challenge of making larger scale pieces with the help of a Creative Development Award from the Scottish Arts Council. Using dies cut from sheet aluminium I have been using extruded clay to construct a series of ceramic seats. Originally inspired by African wooden carved stools and headrests, in a black clay with a matt glaze decoration, these have been most exciting to make.

Much if my work now springs from extruded sections. This includes squared plates, tall curving vases, long dishes, both curving and with undulating profiles, which inspire a wealth of flowing designs, often based on water, or leaping creatures.