My work with ceramics began in 2017 with the Accidental Expressionist tea set, made in collaboration with British design brand, 1882ltd. The tea set spoke to my family ties with the Potteries district in the UK and we remade a teapot designed by my great aunt, Susie Cooper — a pioneering ceramicist and manufacturer whose vast body of work dates back to the1920s.

My relationship with 1882ltd has evolved and expanded into much larger-scale works. In 2019 we created the substantial Penny Vase and for the 2022 edition of the London Design Festival, we exhibited 2.2 meter sculptures formed of ceramic pots stacked in column-like fashion. I’ve spent a lot of time at the 1882ltd factory in Barlaston, Staffordshire in the midlands of England, working with expert crafts folk which has vastly expanded my knowledge of the ceramic process.

My starting point with ceramic design is a 2 dimensional sketch or cutout which I have built or slip cast and then I hand paint the 3 dimensional form. I am learning more and more about the glazing process which is fraught with surprises. You never quite know what’s going to come out of the kiln.

In 2023 I began making new ceramic forms with the Australian company R. L. Foote Design Studio, launched at Oigall Projects in Melbourne in September 2024.

This page is a progress through these past few years.

For further information please email info@martynthompsonstudio.com