Kayley Holderness FSDC

Ceramics

About Kayley
Seeking beauty and balance, Kayley works with clay slowly and sensitively. The resulting forms are simple yet striking. The contours of each piece change when viewed from different angles and are satisfying to touch. Kayley was delighted to exhibit at Collect 2026 and is now working on her next piece for the Society of Designer Craftsmen's exhibition at Oxo Gallery, London, in November 2026.
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Biography Back to top

Kayley creates sculptural forms using grogged clays and engobe washes. She most often coils her pieces as she enjoys creating forms that evolve slowly from the base up. Occasionally, Kayley includes thrown and slab-built pieces in her collections.

Kayley has always been drawn to creating shapes that combine sweeping curves with sharp lines and edges. What excites her most is the interplay between these elements - how they meet, the tension and harmony they create, and the negative spaces that emerge. Kayley is particularly interested in how light interacts with form, using shadow and surface to create subtle tonal shifts within each piece.

Resumé Back to top

Kayley is now in her thirteenth year of running Islington Pottery Workshops at Spirelight Studios in Islington. She spends much of the week teaching, through a regular programme of group workshops and private tuition.

Having joined in 2009, Kayley is now a Fellow and Trustee of the Society of Designer Craftsmen. She works alongside fellow Council members and volunteers to raise the Society’s profile and champion high standards of British craftsmanship.

Between 2005 and 2009, Kayley trained as a Ceramic Designer at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, part of the University of the Arts London. During her studies, Kayley received Highly Commended status and was a finalist in two design competitions. Most notably, she was awarded the Silvie Nisbet Scholarship, which funded a month-long trip to the United States. During this time, she worked in ceramics studios in New York and Philadelphia, gaining invaluable experience. Early in her career, Kayley also worked as a studio assistant to seven established ceramicists.

In 2012, Kayley presented her work on Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution on BBC2. Judged by a panel of creative industry experts, her piece was selected as a winner. As a result, The Forager’s Friend - a ceramic trug - was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for a month in October 2012.


Exhibitions

• Uncommon Ground SDC – Collect Art Fair - February 2026

• Tales in the Making SDC – Oxmarket Contemporary - Chichester - November 2025

• Designer Craft at Bankside SDC – Bankside Gallery, London – November 2024

• Ceramics Showcase - Islington Arts Factory, London – October 2023

• In My Mind’s Eye – West Horsley Place, Surrey – November 2022

• Contemporary Ceramics II - General Office Gallery, Stourbridge – November 2022

• Ceramics Showcase - Islington Arts Factory, London – October 2022

• African Revival, Summer Exhibition – Surrey – June 2022

• Transformations SDC – Bankside Gallery, London – June 2022

• In My Mind’s Eye - West Horsley Place, Surrey – June 2022

• Spring Exhibition, Magpie Contemporary Art - Farnham, Surrey - March 2022

• Surrey Hills Christmas Fair - West Horsley Place, Surrey - November 2021

• Contemporary Ceramics - General Office Gallery, Stourbridge - November 2021

• Designer Craft Showcase SDC - RBSA, Birmingham - November 2021

• Ceramics Showcase - Islington Arts Factory, London - October 2021

• Bright Horizons - The Oxmarket Gallery, Chichester - August 2021

• Excellence SDC - The Oxmarket Gallery, Chichester - August 2021

• Women's Lockdown Art - Women + Health / Zabludowicz Collection, London - November 2020

• Into The Light SDC - The Oxmarket Gallery, Chichester - August 2020

• Ceramics Showcase - Islington Arts Factory, London - 2019

• Designer Crafts SDC - The Mall Galleries, London - 2015

• MOSTYN in Llandudno - 2015

• Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution Finalists (BBC2) - V&A - 2012

• Designer Crafts SDC - The Mall Galleries, London - 2009

• New Designers - Business Design Centre, London - 2009

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