Pip learnt these techniques, along with how to throw, at Morley College. She came to pottery in her thirties, having originally studied textiles at Goldsmiths, and was initially, she tells me, “scared about the amount of information that went with ceramics – there seemed to be far too much to learn at this stage of my life.” But as soon as she started to throw she became, she smiles, “completely addicted.”
After Morley, Pip continued to take classes. She attended the open-access studio Turning Earth, where she progressed from member to studio manager. From there she went to The Kiln Rooms in Peckham. “I love shared studios,” she says, “the mixing of all walks of life and the swapping of skills and advice.”
Recently, Pip has begun to outgrow the shared space and, having moved into a new house, is in the process of building a studio at the bottom of the garden. “I’m ready to be on my own,” she says, before quickly adding that she will be holding regular open days and running classes for children who might not otherwise have access to pottery. “I still want to be around people and keep in touch with the outside world!” she says, laughing.
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