Shropshire Guild of contemporary craft

Date:Mon August 30, 2010 - Mon August 30, 2010 Time: 11am - 4pm Location: Designers:Willey Furnace Pottery.

 Born in Oxford to an English father and a Canadian mother, Elspeth moved to Shropshire during the early 80's and set up Willey Furnace Pottery in 1985.

"It is incredibly basic here" says Elspeth, "but I have everything I need. Solar panels provide electricity to charge the batteries that run the lighting, there is no water supply so that is brought from home, and my loo is a traditional 'earth closet' located in a far corner of my plot".

Elespeth has been working on a very new range of pots most of the year and said "the new pots are made of cream coloured clay instead of the red terracotta clay that I usually use. The decoration is then painted on mostly using underglaze colours".

"I've been experimenting with the cream clay most of the year" Elspeth said, "but the colours are brighter and more transparent than the slips (coloured liquid clays) that I used on the terracotta so the effect is quite different to my usual work even though I am using basically the same designs."

Elspeth, inspired by country pottery from England and Eastern Europe says "many of my designs result from when I kept chickens, ducks, geese and guinea fowl here at the pottery some ten years ago" says Elspeth, "until foxes came and steadily stole them away".

With pottery featuring chickens, hares and guinea fowl and Elspeth's earthly glaze colours such as soft blues, greys, muted terracotta's, ochre's and greens, the finished pieces from Willey Furnace Pottery would sit happily in any home.

The Open Day is on Bank Holiday Monday August 30th from 11am – 4pm, and Elspeth invites all to attend and receive a complementary drink and nibbles. 

Willey Furnace Pottery is at Barrow Road, Broseley. TF12  5JQ and will be well signposted on the day.

For more information please telephone Elspeth on 01952 885759 or mobile: 07790347007

e-mail: elspeth.wfpottery@hotmail.co.uk