Dorset Ceramics Market

After graduating from Winchester School of Art with a degree in Fine Art, Sculpture, I started a family and embarked on a career in Art education. After retiring, I travelled extensively before setting up a ceramics studio at home. My work, which is all hand built, evolves in any direction that interests me. It was no surprise that I would continue to explore form, shape and texture, or that I would want to make big pots. I don't remember much from my early years but I do remember being fascinated by a short black and white film showing a woman in Africa making a coiled pot that was taller than she was! What has surprised me is a newly developed fascination with glazes. After overcoming my initial fear, I have discovered I love the alchemy of making my own concoctions. Weighing, mixing and applying different chemicals and then the thrill of opening the kiln to see the results of my experiments. It is playful, exciting and full of surprises. 

Born and raised in Derbyshire, Diana has recently retired to an idyllic small-holding in Dorset with her husband Chris, a retired vet. Together, they spend their time rearing pigs, hens, geese, quail as well as growing their own vegetables. She first got her hands on clay as a teenager and loved it so much she changed courses and opted for the pottery course instead. After 27 years as an art, design and textiles teacher, Diana is using her retirement to indulge her hobbies and if she’s not throwing on the wheel or firing up the kiln, she’s knitting, learning the piano or singing with her local choir.

Raised in leafy Surrey but moved to the Dorset countryside 15 years ago where I am raising my young family with my incredibly supportive husband in a little village just outside Dorchester. 

My gallery background working in London and Bournemouth as an art consultant for various publishing houses has most likely led me down the path I now find myself on, not forgetting the usual twists and turns along the way! I’m a bit unusual having had a career behind the desk in an art gallery, representing the work of others, to now being in front of it exhibiting my own work - a feeling of which I will never take for granted. I know some people, understandably, feel uncomfortable selling their own work (it definitely feels like more is riding on each sale now!), but I love meeting new and existing customers so please say hi when you see me at a market!

I started evening classes with Duck Farm Pottery just outside Dorchester before lockdown and like so many of us, got completely hooked on clay! I hand throw my functional pottery with stoneware to achieve a consistent look and feel it important for the longevity of my pieces but I also love nothing more than hand-building a large decorative jug or vase for my stand alone gallery work. You may notice a common theme running throughout my work which is often the oozing of glaze. Whether subtle or deliberately drippy, I love combining fluxes with commercial glazes to lower the melting point and therefore encourage movement throughout the firing process. Unfortunately this often leads to drips on the kiln shelf but I think it’s worth it when I open the lid to see the beautiful and unique finished result of movement on the piece!

I love to turn everyday kitchen items and homeware into ceramics you want to display on the worktop and even better, to one day pass down to family.  

I often use my reclaimed, recycled clay for stand alone pieces and sometimes start throwing before knowing what I will create. There is definitely something magical about creating something new from clay which has already had a long journey of it's own. 

Karen Wiltshire is a ceramic artist inspired by the romance of gardens, weathered textures and the beauty of handmade objects with purpose. Working from her studio surrounded by plants and nature, she creates sculptural and functional ceramics designed to bring character and quiet joy to both home and garden. Her work celebrates organic forms, earthy tones and the imperfect charm of hand-built pottery, with each piece individually crafted and full of personality.

Julie Massie is a ceramic wall artist who creates tactile works from stained shards of porcelain clay. She graduated with an MA in Ceramics from UCA Farnham, where she developed a strong interest in surface, materiality, and sensory engagement. Her practice focuses on textured surfaces and irregular edges that invite viewers to engage physically with the artwork, gently challenging the long-held gallery convention of “do not touch.” By encouraging this instinctive response, Julie aims to create a deeper, more personal connection between the viewer and the piece.

Her inspiration comes from the Dorset coastline, an area of striking beauty and international importance, defined by its fragility and constant change. Powerful winter waves shape the land, creating erosion, movement, and a distinctive colour palette of black tones, cold greys, greens, and muted blues. These qualities are reflected in Julie’s fragmented forms and layered surfaces. Her work explores the senses, particularly touch, sight, and sound - inviting quiet reflection and immersive engagement.

@ceramicsbysimon is a potter originally from Yorkshire who makes functional ceramics with both stoneware and porcelain. His work is focused on the simple moments of every day life, whether it’s making that first coffee of the morning, enjoying an afternoon treat between meetings, or a catchup with friends over a cup of tea, his ceramics are made to celebrate and enhance those moments.