St Ives Ceramics

06/03/2026

Hand‑thrown and carved, this Laura Crosland stoneware vase combines bold geometric lines with rich, layered colours, creating a striking centerpiece of modern elegance. A tactile, vibrant piece that invites the eye to explore every curve and surface ˖ ᯽ ˖
H: 21.5 cm × D: 17.5 cm

Visit our website to explore this piece and more on Laura's artist page 👤 Laura Crosland

05/03/2026

Jonathan Middlemiss.
Large Triform Vessel, c. 1993

Thrown, cut, and rejoined stoneware with applied metallic lustre. Colour and line contrast complement the adjusted form.

H: 35 cm�Impressed JM seal to base.

Visit Jonathan’s artist page, or contact us a for more information 📧

04/03/2026

Stoneware Vase by Robin Welch (1936–2019).
A highly regarded English studio potter with a pioneering approach to form and surface. Initially drawn to painting, he studied at Nuneaton College and Penzance School of Art, Cornwall, where he discovered pottery through Michael Leach, spending weekends and holidays at the Leach Pottery.

Welch later studied at the Central School of Art, where he was part of the ceramics and visual arts milieu of the time, drawing on diverse influences, and notably inspired by the abstract expressionist Mark Rothko - an influence that resonates in the colour, form, texture and style of his ceramics and paintings.

He was “one of a small group of significant potters who expanded the language of throwing (or shaping) pots on the wheel… giving his generally cylindrical forms a more organic and sculptural aspect, but their heavily coloured and textured surfaces were as much about painting, too” (The Guardian, David Whiting, 27 Dec 2019, Robin Welch obituary).

This stoneware conical vase, featuring a lustrous volcanic bronze glaze on the lower section and a blue glaze with white band detail on the upper section, measures H: 28 cm | W: 15.5 cm | Foot: 6 cm.

Available works can be viewed in the gallery or online. 👤 Robin Welch https://st-ives-ceramics.co.uk/welch-robin/

All of our artist-makers including the CBS Heritage Collection can now be found at www.st-ives-ceramics.co.uk

03/03/2026

Continuing our March feature, Jonathan ‘Jon’ Middlemiss was a celebrated British ceramicist whose work is held in public and private collections worldwide. His ceramic vessels are thrown, deconstructed, and then meticulously reformed, defined by geometric abstraction and optically layered, multi-glazed surfaces.

After studying printmaking, then starting out in ceramics with functional ware, from the late 1970s he began exploring new possibilities. Jon focused on one-off pieces and built an international career, exhibiting widely in Germany, the USA, as far as Japan, and later in the Middle East.

In 1989, he was elected to the British Crafts Council’s Select Index. In 1992, he became a Fellow of the Crafts Potters Association and in the same year was awarded a Gold Medal at the 13th International Biennale of Ceramic Art in Vallauris, France. In 1994, he was appointed a Member of the International Academy of Ceramics in Prague.
From the late 1990s, he lectured and expanded into interdisciplinary projects and mixed media. Jonathan returned to ceramic production for several years in the early 2010s, and thereafter continued creating paintings and pastels inspired by landscape and sensory experience.

Jonathan Middlemiss was a visionary whose independent approach and uncompromising application of expression and form set his work apart. His ceramics leave a lasting legacy, respected by collectors and makers alike.

We’re thrilled his work is now in our CBS Heritage Collection, keeping museum quality, historically significant studio ceramics alive and accessible to be experienced, exchanged, and lived with over time, adding to their living history.

Available works from our March Window Exhibition can be explored in the gallery and online 👤 Jonathan Middlemiss https://st-ives-ceramics.co.uk/middlemiss-jonathan/

All of our artist-makers including the CBS Heritage Collection can now be found at www.st-ives-ceramics.co.uk

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28/02/2026

We are excited to present Jonathan Middlemiss (1949–2021) in our CBS Heritage Collection for the first time. Our March Window Exhibition features a selection of works showcasing dynamic forms, geometric precision, and layered glazes, where thrown, altered, multi-fired shapes create optical movement and interplay between inner and outer surfaces.

Throughout March, we will share images and insights into his ceramics legacy and creative vision. Visit the gallery or explore online to experience his dialogue between form, colour, and the depth of philosophy and practice that defines his art.
Middlemiss Art

19/02/2026

The dynamic macro world of salt and ash glazed surfaces—where molten azure rivers race across clay landscapes, breaking into canyons of liquid amber...

a fleeting moment of alchemy suspended in time.

18/02/2026

10/02/2026

🏺 WILLIAM / BILL MARSHALL 🏺

A tribute to William (Bill) Marshall by ceramicist John Bedding- apprentice to Bernard Leach, honory member of the Leach Pottery and owner of St.Ives Ceramics:

"Bill Marshall started working at the Leach Pottery as a young 14-year-old apprentice. He worked there for 40 years and during that time became key to the successful running of the workshop, and an essential assistant to Bernard Leach.

During my time at the Leach, he was my biggest influence in style and craftsmanship. He was heavily influenced by Shoji Hamada but he successfully translated this into a style of his own. His brushwork was masterful; this applied over his Hakami slip, were in my opinion some of his finest pots. His eye for form and restrained decoration was always spot on.

Over his 40 years at the Leach, he had absorbed the Japanese/Western atmosphere that the workshop was steeped in, and this mix was reflected in his pots. From a boy apprentice he was transformed into a unique potter, and I believe he stands alongside the greats of craftsman and master potters. His throwing style was a treasure to watch; the pots steadily grew in his hands with a subtle ripple of finger marking on the pot's body. The pottery standard-ware he made, had his hallmark all over them and could always be recognised by me. He instructed all the students on the shape and form they were given to make, and left them with examples.

I could never get fully the subtleties and the feel of Bill's examples he left with me, and it became a constant frustration. I would often watch him throwing secretly, in the hope of cracking his unique style. I have a few pieces of his standard-ware that I treasure as the best examples of the Leach domestic pot. These pots naturally go unrecognised and unregarded, but I believe they are a true statement of a master craftsman at work."

John Bedding: Leach Pottery 1968/1970 1972/1978

All pieces pictured here are available to purchase both on or website and within the gallery.
If you have any questions please get in Contact: [email protected]
Or 01736 794930
www.st-ives-ceramics.co.uk

09/02/2026

Early Chinese Ceramics including Qingbai ware, Cizhou, Celadon ware. Dating from c.1000 to 1400 A.D.

Fitzwilliam Museum
Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB, United Kingdom.

The Fitzwilliam Museum has a large and varied collection of ceramics from Prehistoric to Contemporary.