Penny Simpson
Penny Simpson| Ceramics | Devon
Penny started making pots in Japan. She loved the delicious food there and the way it was served on hand-made pots. The variety of tableware used in homes and restaurants was very inspiring. She started pottery classes and traveled widely in Japan to visit the many pottery areas. In getting to grips with the Japanese language of pottery, she wrote The Japanese Pottery Handbook (Kodansha 1979).
After a two year apprenticeship at Dartington Pottery, she chose to work with red earthenware clay. She loves the warm colour of the clay and the decorative possibilities of using coloured slips with a few simple glazes. The slips are brushed, trailed and poured to get different effects.
Her inspiration for decoration comes mainly from nature. Walking in the Devon countryside, the trees and plants provide a wealth of inspiration. She often uses a ‘sgraffito’ technique, incising through layers of slip to the clay colour underneath.
She has worked at her present workshop in Moretonhampstead, Devon, for the last 25 years and enjoys having her own showroom, where she can meet her customers and work with her apprentices.