Neville Tatham MSDC

Ceramics

About Neville
Based in his rural Essex studio, Neville makes functional slipware pottery that is raw fired to earthenware temperatures. His pots are hand thrown, functional pieces. The materials and techniques used remain visible, often with the warmth of the terracotta clay showing through the glaze or left bare, creating a textural contrast between the raw and glazed surfaces. The pieces are decorated using slip trailed and incised decoration which is then finished with a lead based glaze. The application and thickness of the slip also determines a range of effects.
Biography Back to top

Neville graduated in 3D Design (Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Glass) from Manchester Metropolitan University, where he specialised in wheel-thrown ceramics under the tutelage of Alex McErlain.

Since graduating, he has established himself as a respected maker within the contemporary ceramics scene. Based in his rural Essex studio, he makes functional slipware ceramics that are exhibited throughout the UK. He is a regular exhibitor at high-profile, selected shows, most recently Ceramic Art London, Bovey Tracey Craft Festival and Potfest in the Park.

Focusing on slipware is important to his practise as it enables a more environmentally friendly approach, using local clays which fire at lower temperatures. Over recent years he has become an advocate of raw or once firing, feeling strongly that despite its challenges, it is a more sustainable model for contemporary ceramics in a modern world with dwindling resources.

Predating both the Industrial Revolution and the Arts and Crafts Movement, slipware was the traditional pottery of rural Europe for centuries. The ceramics of this period have been a lasting source of inspiration for Neville, influencing the forms and character of his work.

His pots are hand-thrown, functional pieces that keep the marks of their making visible. Terracotta warmth shows through the glaze, or is left bare altogether, creating a textural contrast between raw and glazed surfaces.

Each piece is decorated with slip-trailed and incised patterns, then finished with a lead-based glaze. The thickness and application of the slip further shape the range of effects achieved.

Whether a terracotta teapot or a ginger jar, Neville intends every piece to be a quiet celebration of craft, history and hands-on artistry.

Resumé Back to top

Previous notable exhibitions and shows

  • Ceramic art London, Olympia London 2025
  • York Ceramics Fair,Craft Potters Association Racecourse, York 2024
  • Bovey Tracey Craft Festival, Devon 2025
  • Exploring Earthenware: Modern Slipware, Clay College, Middleport Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent 2024
  • MADE London, 1 Marylebone, Westminster, London October 2024
  • Potfest in the Park, Hutton in the Forest, Penrith, Cumbria 2021,2022,2024 2025,2026
  • Ceramic Wales, Bodrhydem Hall, Rhyl, Wales 2023,2024,2025
  • Potfest South East ,Glynde Place, Lewes , Brighton 2022 and 2023
  • Cuckoo Farm Studios Ltd Application Form
  • Potfest in the Pens, Penrith, Cumbria 2017, 2019 and 2020
  • Top Drawer, Olympia, Hammersmith, London 2017
  • Cluster "Forms of Reverence" Truman Brewery Centre, London 2026
  • Plant Hunters ,Royal Horticultural Society,Hyde Hall, Essex 2011

Affiliated with

  • Makerspace, Trinity Street, Colchester. Associate Artist -Invoiced consultancy hours/individual tuition and classes delivering ceramic handbuilding and principally throwing tuition booked through Eventbright.
  • Ive been a selected member of the Suffolk Crafts Society since 2021 and exhibited with them at numerous annual shows and professional venues throughout this time including MADE Marylebone and the Longshed Centre at Woodbridge among others.
  • Find a Maker.Group participating in Bovey Tracey Craft Festival and Finder Maker Week.
  • Cluster Crafts London
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