Ealing Beat 2024

Clair Baird

Clair’s work predominantly features wheel-thrown creations, currently focused on assembling thrown pieces to form uniquely shaped vessels. Inspired by city life and the architectural features of urban buildings, Clair’s innovative approach is evident in her striking ceramic pieces.

Kirstie Ferrett / Creative Strandss

Kirstie discovered her creativity in clay a couple of years ago when she joined Hanwell Pottery. Led by the belief that life is not lived in straight lines, her work takes a much more abstract approach and her pieces reflect that in the different pathways of the lengths of clay. The unevenness and chaos in the direction of the strands make up a piece which is non-uniform, but still beautiful and unique. What we use to display in or on them is down to us but it’s not about distracting from the imperfections; rather celebrating and enhancing the differences.

Instagram: @creativestrandss

Emily Fuller

Colour is vital to Emily’s work. She has been focusing on decorative ceramic ware using colourful underglazes and slips.  Her hand painted and sgraffito tiles are inspired by medieval floor tiles and Venetian Basilica mosaic flooring. She strives to recreate the look and feel of ancient artefacts by purposefully introducing distress in her pieces, though they are totally functional.

Instagram: @emily_fuller_mosaics

Karin Gadd

Karin brings warmth and personality to her work, using throwing and hand-building techniques. Inspired by the aesthetics she cherishes in her own home, Karin infuses her creations with oxides and earthy tones to achieve a natural, organic feel. Her work has a quirky, sometimes whimsical charm, making each piece a delightful addition to any space.

Instagram: @karin.gadd

Carolyn Kiraz

Apart from throwing and hand-building ceramic pieces,  Carolyn’s interests include travelling and discovering the different accents and languages that make us who we are; she draws inspiration from various cultures and artistic traditions.

The beauty in everyday moments, such as the pattern of a leaf left on a damp pavement can inspire a mark on the surface of a pot.

Instagram: @chaswickle

Clare McGovern

Clare, a local born and bred resident, made a bold career shift this year from IT manager to full-time ceramics student at Morley College, starting in September 2024. 

With a rich variety of techniques and styles, Clare’s work marries functionality with clean, graphic designs. Her pieces often feature bold, bright, and humorous elements that reflect her vibrant approach to life. Clare’s passion for all things pottery is infectious and inspiring to those thinking of ‘having a go’.  Still learning and exploring her craft, Clare hopes to raise a smile with her mix of playfulness and practicality.

Instagram: @claremcgceramics

Ludka Morris

Ludka learnt to throw pots whilst at college and continued at an evening class until life got too busy with family and work, but has returned to it since retiring. 

As well as throwing pots on the wheel, Ludka likes to experiment with hand-building using a variety of techniques from coiling to slab work.

She likes using slips and underglazes for decorating and has experimented with paper shapes to block off colours as well as freehand painting designs on her pots.

She particularly enjoys the unexpected results from double dipping pots in glazes so that they fuse together to create some beautiful effects.

Fiona Partridge

Fiona first experienced the joy of working with clay at school and joined classes numerous times over the years since, coming to Hanwell Pottery 14 years ago. Her earliest work took inspiration from the shapes of natural objects and markings on OS maps but it is the amazing ceramics collection of the V&A that draws her back time and again.

Developing a love of hand building, Fiona often uses colour, shape and carved patterns to decorate her pieces, many of which hang to allow light to emphasise the designs.

This is her first year exhibiting at Ealing Beat.

Margaret Rhoads

Margaret first learned to throw at summer camp in America on a kick wheel and has since had access to pottery classes or studios on and off for more than 30 years.  She was awarded a Btec from Westminster Adult Education 10 years ago.

Visiting the British Museum, the V&A and walks in the woods provide inspiration for Margaret’s surface decoration, particularly birch trees, which are often portrayed in her work using sgraffito (carving the surface through one colour to reveal another colour underneath) resulting in some wonderfully original thrown pieces.

Nargis Shah / Studio Nerg

Nargis is a jewellery designer whose work is a dynamic fusion of bold colours and clean lines. Inspired by the precision of geometric shapes and the rhythm of pattern, her pieces are a testament to her meticulous craftsmanship.

Initially working with polymer clay, Nargis’ artistic journey took a turn a couple years ago when she visited Hanwell Pottery at Ealing BEAT. Captivated by the material’s versatility, she has since been experimenting with glazes, colour, and techniques like sgrafitto, infusing her jewellery with a newfound depth and texture. Nargis’ creations extend beyond accessories; she is also exploring the potential of clay in home decor, crafting unique trinket dishes and decorative items. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind statement, reflecting the designer’s passion for pushing creative boundaries.

Instagram: @studio.nerg
Website: studionerg.co.uk

Ian Symonds

After a career in consultancy and IT, Ian was keen to try something new and spiritually fulfilling. He joined Hanwell Pottery and found his creative side.  He mostly throws pots on the wheel and is experimenting with a variety of styles, decoration and glazing effects. He’s influenced by ancient and modern ceramics he sees in galleries and museums and while travelling in the Mediterranean and Asia. A frequent visitor to Japan, Ian has a special interest in the Japanese aesthetic and aims for objects in simple but satisfying designs in muted colours that are easy to live with.

Charlotte Tomkins

Charlotte began her pottery journey at Hanwell Pottery in 2022 and now can’t imagine life without it. This year, she is excited to make her debut at Ealing BEAT. Charlotte draws inspiration from nature, particularly animals and plants, and loves bringing out their individual characters and quirks in her work. With a lifelong passion for drawing and sketching, she enjoys extending these skills to the medium of ceramics, embracing the challenge of creating pieces that are artistically enjoyable, practical and just a little bit fun.

Instagram: @chomkins

Jackie Ward

Drawing inspiration from Brutalism, Modernism, and touches of Art Deco, Jackie likes to create bold ceramic forms embellished with texture and decorative finishes. She loves to throw and hand-build with clay, but is happiest when she is combining the two disciplines as she finds the uncertainty of the outcome compelling.

For Beat 2024 she is working on a series of lamp bases to add to her eclectic ceramic collection.

Instagram: @jdw.ceramics

Sue Watts / Hanwell Waspery

In 2022, Sue started playing with clay at Hanwell Pottery in her very limited free time and found her happy place, creating things that bring joy and make her smile. Sue mainly enjoys hand-building and hand-painting small pieces that are both silly and useful. 2024 is her first BEAT.

A big fan of wasps, pigeons, dark humour, cartoons, and the absurd, Sue also creates printed works in a similar vein with her partner Toby.

Instagram: @hanwellwaspery

Clare Welsby / Clare Froy Ceramics

Clare first encountered clay as an art student in the early 1970s, before going on to study Fine Arts as a painter. Having lived in the Orkney Islands in Scotland for over 20 years, both her ceramics and paintings are heavily influenced by the natural world; focusing particularly on land, sea, sky and birds.

After moving back to London, she revisited her early interest in clay and attended a ceramics summer school at the Martin’s School of Art in Kings Cross, and since 2013 through Hanwell Pottery. She particularly enjoys the physical nature of working with clay, building pieces with her hands, and occasionally with the wheel, introducing colour and texture through glazes and pattern.

Instagram: @clarewelsby

Amanda Wright

Amanda was originally involved in Interior Design and Photography, but whilst working as a volunteer at the W3 Gallery in Acton, was introduced to ceramics and has been hooked ever since.

She came to Hanwell Pottery following a couple of short throwing courses locally and now creates wheel thrown and slab pieces, using different carving techniques and Sgraffito, often with an asymmetric profile.

Amanda’s work reveals her love of all things Mid-Century and betrays elements of her Gothic youth of the 80s. Her glazing colour palettes often reflect this using blacks and greys and earthy tones, particularly enjoying mixing reactive glazes to achieve an unpredictable outcome.

Instagram: @4manda66