About Me
I make and sell handmade pottery in a rustic coastal design. Everything is carefully made on the pottery wheel and fired in my garden studio in East Sussex, UK. Inspired by a love of the coast and sea my contemporary tableware comes in a range of glazes named after the seascapes they evoke - from calm waters to misty lagoon. I use a flecked stoneware clay that is wonderful to throw with and creates a beautiful speckle than burns through the glaze in the final firing.
I make intentionally small batches of pottery, working to be the opposite of mass produced factory tableware. I believe in craftsmanship and traditional skills. This means pieces are made slowly and intentionally, mug handles are ‘pulled’ and attached by hand, bowls are turned on the pottery wheel and everything is individually dipped in buckets of unique home-made glazes. My tableware is tactile and shows it’s handmade nature by leaving visible the making process - whether that be throwing rings inside a mug or finger ridges on a pulled handle.
*Photo by Maxine Silver Photography
My Story
I’ve been a potter for over 10 years, having discovered ceramics through evening classes in my late 20s. After studying Art History at university, I worked in arts marketing in various London galleries, however I found my days to be lacking in creativity. I was keen to become to creator rather than the promoter of art and felt quite disillusioned by the conceptual art I was surrounded by. I developed an interest in the opposite - in real craftsmanship and skills.
From the moment I made something on the pottery wheel I knew I’d found my thing! I wasn’t exactly a natural, but found I had a passion for it to persist and practice and it became an obsession and still is today. I spent a year at college studying ceramics, with a focus on throwing functional ware. I loved making beautiful things you could use everyday, and still find it hard to make work that isn’t functional.
After college I joined a communal ceramics studio in London and set up ‘Emily Doran Pottery’ and have never looked back. I've recently made the move out of London and now work out of my garden studio in East Sussex, UK, where I live with my husband and two young children and cat Willow.
My Pots
You can find my pottery for sale in a number of carefully selected independent shops and galleries. Over the years I’ve had the privilege to have my pottery stocked in some wonderful retailers including in Liberty, London, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Trust.
I currently sell here on my website and update my online shop with a new collection every other month. You’ll find my coastal tableware collection as well as some unique one-off pieces. I let my work evolve naturally, constantly exploring new forms and glazes and changing my collection accordingly.
