Emily Myers discovered she had a natural aptitude for ceramics when she first came across pottery at school at the age of 12; she has been working with clay ever since. After graduating with a degree in Ceramics from Bristol Polytechnic in 1987, she returned to London and found she enjoyed working within a shared workshop environment with other craftspeople. A move to the countryside in the late 1990’s signalled a change in Emily’s work.
Architectural influences gave way to organic ones. The rolling hills and ploughed furrows of North Hampshire were reflected in the carved lines within the pots. Inspiration was also drawn from found objects such as knapped flints and old metal cogs.
Emily is currently working with both porcelain and red stoneware clay. These contrasting clays provide the bright white, and chocolate brown backgrounds, on which the glazes react. The potter’s wheel is central to Emily’s studio practice. However she is not limited to the circular nature of the thrown pot. She has extended her repertoire of forms by faceting, carving and altering the pots at the leather hard stage. She has developed a range of matt stoneware barium glazes fired in an electric kiln. She aims to create well proportioned forms with subtle surfaces, that promote a feeling of tranquillity.
Her skilled faceting is often a feature of her pieces. Faceting is a traditional technique seen in ancient Chinese ware and widely used by wheel based potters. The technique involves removing slices of clay from the outside of the pot to produce a multi-sided shape.
Emily is a Crafts Council selected maker and member of the Craft Potters Association
