Charlotte Woodford visits leading Surrey potter Ashley Howard at Farnham Pottery.

Interest in studio pottery is growing at a time when the teaching of ceramics is being reduced in many art colleges and higher education institutions.

That’s the view of Ashley Howard, one of the UK’s leading studio potters, who is based at Farnham Pottery.

‘Interest in ceramics is definitely growing but sadly what isn’t growing is the higher education opportunity facilities to support that.’

Ashley knows how difficult it is for young people to make a living out of pottery. ‘It's very difficult for a young potter without much experience to hit the limelight straight away. You have to be very single minded and focused. Just to survive these days you need a lot of money. When I started off there were grants for students like me but today they don't exist. Now ceramics students who want to follow their heart find it very difficult to get started and fund themselves.’

Ashley’s own interest in pottery took off when he left school and attended pottery classes run by an inspirational potter called Gill Brown. She encouraged him to pursue his passion and he studied initially at Medway College of Art and Design before going on to study ceramics at the Royal College of Art in 2001.

He soon realised that making a living out of pottery wasn’t going to be easy. ‘At first I wanted to set up my own pottery and make production work full time. But it didn't take me long to realise that this wasn't for me not least because I like to move around and do different things. The crucial thing for me was that I wanted to make the pots that I wanted to make.’

To pursue his dream Ashley had to supplement his income by working as a technician part-time before going into full-time teaching at a secondary school for eight years. ‘There’s the old theory that when one has to teach something you learn more than your students do so I’ve always had a hand in teaching and gradually climbed up the ladder teaching at universities.’

Ashley now teaches two days a week at the University for Creative Arts at Farnham and is also a teacher of art at Frensham Heights School. ‘It’s rich and rewarding work. That side of my life keeps my pottery practice relevant. The way, for example, youngsters see the world and the questions they ask can be quite startling and honest, sometimes more challenging than the questions I am asked by my university students!’

Watching Ashley work at the potter’s wheel in Farnham Pottery gives you a glimpse of how earth, fire and water all combine to make a beautiful object. A blob of porcelain clay in Ashley’s hands suddenly transforms into a fluid, distinct bowl with its own individuality.  ‘There is a spiritual depth and humanity to a handmade piece that you don’t get from one made in a factory’, Ashley explains.  ‘That’s why human beings like to do it and why they like to buy it and engage with it because there is  a story behind it.’

Ashley has exhibited, demonstrated and lectured all over the world, taking inspiration from different cultures and styles. He has a particular affinity with Japan which for many potters is the spiritual home of ceramics. ‘I've always had a fascination towards the east, Japan in particular, and my work has been influenced by it.’

He first visited Japan in 2011 to attend a ceramics symposium and recently collaborated with Japanese potter, Risa Ohgi. The exhibition, Shima Kara Shima E (from Island to Island) opened at the Leach Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall and went on to be shown at The Foyer Gallery at the University for Creative Arts, Farnham. His trips to Japan has motivated him to explore new ways of working including the use of on-glaze enamels.

‘I recently spent some time developing some new work in Shigaraki where they have a ceramics centre and host people from all over the world. That whole experience showed me just how important Japanese ceramics has been on my own work. My challenge has always been how I can interpret it, not replicate it. I didn't just want to make Japanese style work, I wanted to find my own language and style to mix with it. Both Japan and the UK are very good at absorbing ideas and cultures from others.’

Despite exploring new ways of working some things remain constant in Ashley’s creative process. ‘I keep a sketch book which is full of squiggles and doodles, my own personal language that I have developed, which is very important to me. I do make a lot more use of these sketches especially with my new work which involves a lot more consideration towards the surface and shape and colour and where I place things. So, my work has the genesis in my sketch book.’  

Commercially things are also looking up for Ashley and he is now represented by agents James and Jessica Rawlin who market his work. ‘Having an agent takes the leg work out of having to sell my work myself, enables me to move up a level into markets that are beyond my reach so it's an exciting time for me and ceramics in general.’

Despite the cut backs in pottery courses at many leading colleges and universities there are still opportunities for those who want to pursue a career in ceramics. ‘The most important thing is practice. Take lessons or classes at somewhere like 318 ceramics here at Farnham Pottery and then consider art college or an apprenticeship with an existing potter. If you have the love and drive for it then anything is possible.’

What strikes you about artists such as Ashley is their passion for what they do. It’s what inspires his teaching as well as his beautiful pots.

‘Pottery is something I can become completely immersed in. It's a spiritual and physical experience for me. Unlike painting I can get the physicality of handling the clay as well as getting the ability to paint and draw on it, so it gives me a broad landscape and a real depth.’

‘Every time you sell a piece of work it is a fantastic feeling. I make things I want to make and therefore when people buy from you they are making a personal connection with you. It's coming from a different place than if you go into a supermarket and buy a mug from the shelves. It's quite humbling and I think it's important that I always remember that.’

Ashley Howard’s work can be viewed at jjrawlin.com

If you are interested in a pottery course visit http://www.318ceramics.co.uk/