OUR STORY & PHILOSOPHY
Thrown in a Cumbrian garden studio overlooking green fields, Fiona May makes functional ceramics to be used in the home - from mugs to dinner services as well as decorative homewares. Our ceramics are intended to be engaged with and used daily; to be functional but also special and to enhance everyday experiences.
All Fiona May Ceramics are wheel thrown; inspired by the local landscape, travels further afield, and the maker's favourite artists and ceramicists. The artist particularly loves the natural contrast between exposed clay and glazed surfaces, as well as utilizing glaze as a decorative brush-applied medium, gratified by the unpredictability of each brushstroke and the resulting individuality of the finished piece. Fiona May enjoys creating simple & clean designs, but also the expressive use of the brush as a tool to elevate the form of each piece through complementary designs, confidently - and sympathetically - applied.
ABOUT THE MAKER
Hi, I’m Fi - the maker behind Fiona May Ceramics. I started throwing on my Dad’s wheel during the first lockdown in 2020 after being furloughed and moving back home to the Lake District from London. I then returned to London and started attending a shared pottery studio space in Tulse Hill where I learned from fellow makers in the studio before moving back up (again!) to the Lake District which is where I’m born and raised. As much as I love the buzz of the city, I’m definitely more at home in the country.
I’ve always been intrigued by ceramics, growing up close to Wetheriggs Pottery in the Eden Valley which, unfortunately, has since closed down. More recently, I started making myself, encouraged by my Dad’s enthusiasm for the craft, who’s taught me the foundations of what I know. I’ve honed my skill through time on the wheel but also with the advice of Mary Chapplehow of Interlude Ceramics and intensive throwing workshops at The Leach Pottery in St Ives.
I’m still learning but completely in love with pottery and hoping to transition into this full-time someday (I currently work part-time as a painting conservator with a background in Art History and Easel Painting Conservation). When making ceramics, I work in a little studio out of the garage in the garden with a relatively small kiln and although I aim to be consistent - there are some variations in my work in terms of shape and size (but I like to think this makes it special!)
