taoran.co.uk

I’ve been making pots for 20 years, on and off.  I started while I was at university.  I collected early Chinese ceramics, and I wanted to understand their makers’ achievement.  That grew into a more serious commitment when I moved to Scotland, where I helped to found an artists’ cooperative and joined the Scottish Potters Association.  I then gave it up for nine years.  Coming back to pottery in the last four years has been a reawakening for me, as I rediscover the pleasure of working with clay.

My focus is still on exploring oriental shapes and motifs.  I now emboss my pots with Chinese characters.  I choose the characters I use with care – both for their personal meaning to me and for their formal beauty.  This is a rich vein for me, opening new ideas and approaches that I plan to explore for some time to come.

In “real life”, I’m an engineer.  I find that the discipline of that profession affects my pots – in the way I approach designing and making them.  To be able to conceive the pot in my own mind and on paper, before I start working with clay, is important to the way it turns out.  But the real pleasure comes when it turns out differently, and I find a new way to see the material and the processes.

All my pots are made on a wheel, then assembled.  I use a fine-grained white clay that allows me to get the fine detailing I seek without the cost of porcelain.  I favour simple glaze colours that emphasise the shape of the pots and suit the purity of the clay body.  I fire in an electric kiln to stoneware, about 1260°C, to give a strong, waterproof and durable result.

I exhibit at Open Studio events twice a year, and at specialist ceramics art fairs.  Please have a look at my “News” page for details of the next event.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pots as much as I’ve enjoyed making them.  If you’d like to know more, please get in touch.  I’m very pleased to accept commissions.