Fran Davison

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I am a self-taught potter, working from my tiny kitchen/ garden studio in Newcastle upon Tyne.

 

With a degree in Zoology and 20 years’ experience working in immunological and microbiological research, I have always been interested and inspired by natural forms, structure and patterns. Married to a local lad, some of my favourite pieces are black & white; a nod to my Geordie home. A keen gardener and snorkeler, my pots are also heavily influenced by local flora and tropical marine fauna.

 

My pots are all slab built and I enjoy both the creative process of designing a new piece and the logical process of producing slabs to fit this design. However, the clay itself usually dictates the final shape making each pot unique, giving the piece a natural, imperfect look, almost as if they have been dug from the earth.

 

I work with buff raku and black textured clays, which have a large firing range and beautiful soft white and black tones after bisque firing. They are also tolerant to heat-shock which gives me lots of scope for experimentation with glazes and glaze effects. Due to the nature of the clays and glazes I use the pieces are purely decorative, non-functional ware.

 

My pots usually have some form of decoration which gives them a tactile quality making it virtually impossible to resist the urge to pick them up and hold them.