Penny Simpson

From an early age I enjoyed playing with clay at home as my mother had a small pottery studio. However, it was not until I lived in Japan in my twenties that I became more seriously interested in making pots.

I loved the delicious food in Japan and the way it was often served on hand-made pots. The variety of tableware and its wide use in homes and restaurants was very inspiring. I started pottery classes and traveled widely in Japan to visit the many pottery areas. In getting to grips with the Japanese language of pottery, I wrote The Japanese Pottery Handbook (Kodansha 1979).

After my apprenticeship at Dartington Pottery, I chose to work with red earthenware clay, following in the English slipware tradition. I love the warm colour of the clay and the decorative possibilities of using coloured slips with a few simple glazes.

My inspiration for decoration comes mainly from nature. I walk in the countryside where I live and the trees and plants provide a wealth of inspiration. I also like to explore texture in my work and often use a ‘sgraffito’ technique, incising through layers of slip to the clay colour underneath. I have worked at my present workshop in Moretonhampstead, Devon, for the last 25 years and enjoy having my own showroom here, where I can meet my customers and work with my apprentices.