Helen Lee

A Potter’s Book by Bernard Leach was my constant companion at school and I took a Diploma in Ceramics at Epsom School of Art and Design back in the 80s with the aim of becoming a potter. After failed attempts to find an apprenticeship, however, I abandoned my dreams and have since followed a varied career path that has included the auction business, Buddhist studies, teaching English in Japan, graphics and psychotherapy.

 Craving a simpler existence I decided to return to making pots and moved from London to Cornwall in 2017. I now make ‘mid-fired’ earthenware pots at the Gaolyard Studios in St Ives, inspired both the early English slipware tradition and the size of the sea and the sky in Cornwall.

 I find clay a wonderous material to work with and am fascinated by its endless creative possibilities as well as the positive effect it can have on those who work with it.