Terracotta vase and maquettes
This hand-built terracotta vase was inspired by the study of hand built ancient Egyptian and Mexican pottery.
I make hand-built clay maquettes to explore and develop the form and shape of the initial idea.
Frieze Vase Collection
This group of slip cast frieze vases were inspired by Staffordshire flat backs, made from the 1700’s onwards and became a form of local folk art depicted social figures and cultural trends of the time. Often the flatbacks were wall mounted.
These modular frieze vases are designed to be either wall mounted or displayed in groups to bring greenery into people’s homes.
The Sessile Collection
I enjoy designing collections of tableware. The tableware collection for The Sessile, is a family of elegant, understated plates, bowls and cups. The Sessile is a design led residential project at Tottenham Hale for build-to-rent developer ‘Way of Life’.
The collection is thrown on the potter’s wheel. Designed to suit today's informal eating, this versatile range of tableware is well detailed, hand finished and has a natural feel. Its special visual quality lies in the contrast between the smooth texture of the unglazed and polished stoneware and the satin matt glaze in its pastel shades, designed to provide a subtle backdrop for food to be displayed and presented. The large plates can be used as under-plates when combined with small plates, sauce dishes, and bowls as part of the serving arrangement with three different sizes of coffee cups.
T-4-4 Tea Set Collection
My interest in designing functional objects informed my approach to the Tea For Four Collection. The Collection is designed for everyday use, using simple and familiar forms, without unnecessary decoration.
The teapot is an empathetic vessel and an important object in the ceramic canon. Enjoying ‘a nice cup of tea’ is often an informal gathering that brings people together for social, casual or business reasons; it can also be the focal part of the daily ritual of having breakfast or afternoon tea. I consider there is a requirement for a well-designed, modern, stylish teapot which can easily serve four sizeable cups of tea.
The T-4-4 teapot is comfortable to hold, retains the heat of the hot tea and can be easily cleaned. It is designed to be elegant, aesthetically pleasing and conducive to relaxed and informal use in a variety of settings at home, in cafes and restaurants and offices.
The T-4-4 Collection comprises a 1.3 litre teapot, together with four 325ml mugs, a milk jug and sugar bowl. The Collection is slip cast using plaster moulds in either stoneware or porcelain. The mugs, jugs and sugar bowl are cast in different layers of coloured slip and glazed to complement each teapot.
Bowls and Flare Vases
These large bowls and flare vases were manufactured using an industrial craft machine called the jigger-jolley. The bowls and vases were ‘jolleyed’ using templates to press the clay into rotating plaster moulds. The bowls and vases are made from stoneware and decorated with wax crayons and coloured glazes. The flare vases are made from different multi-coloured layers of clay to form an Agateware effect, which is both decorative and functional.
Geometria Vase Collection
The collection of slip-cast vases is called ‘Geometria’ – derived from the Greek word ‘ge’ meaning earth and ‘metron’ meaning measurement – literally ‘earth measurement’. The collection is inspired by my interest in architecture, cities and sculpture. The vases are designed to be grouped in informal settings, like buildings in a city. Each vase is cast in a different colour using either terracotta, stained earthenware or porcelain.
Coupe Plates
Large diameter coupe plates look simple, however in reality they are challenging to manufacture. I have experimented with different industrial craft techniques for their production including slip casting and jiggering, an industrial craft technique. These 30 centimeter diameter coupe plates are slip cast in plaster moulds and decorated using a combination of decorative and casting slip. The plates are cast using earthenware, stoneware and porcelain slip.
Bronze Casting
‘Corona’ is cast in bronze and inspired by my study of the work of mid-century modern sculptors and designers, in particular Barbara Hepworth. Bronze casting is the next step for a ceramicist and many of the skills are transferable. This small bronze sculpture was created using the lost wax method, whereby a wax model is made in a silicone mould from a clay model, then the wax is burned out of the ceramic mould, ready for the molten bronze to be cast. It is an exhilarating process dating back thousands of years!
John Robertson Ceramics
I am a designer-maker and my ceramic practice focuses on using industrial craft techniques to make contemporary tableware. My designs and surface finishes are inspired by mid-century modern art and design.
My work is influenced by studying the evolution of modern tableware from its traditional craft base in the Arts and Crafts movement through to the transformational impact European designers, schooled in Bauhaus modernity, have had on its design.
After a career in architecture, I graduated from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ceramic Design.
