Tydd Pottery
About Tydd Pottery
The pottery has been established for about 50 years and seen several major periods in its output. Initially we made terra cotta garden pots which over 20 or so years we supplied to many of the garden centres in East Anglia and the Midlands. We also attended many craft shows and similar events.
This was followed by a similar period of time during which we produced domestic pattery - jugs, bowls, mugs etc - using majolica techniques with blue designs painted on to a white opaque glaze.
Recently we have dispensed with the potters wheel and now concentrate on making hand-built vessels which we decorate with geometric and other repeat patterns.
One of our main sources of inspiration are the pots produced over many generations by the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico USA. Without the use of kilns, wheels and glazes they have created pots of amazing quality and design.
We make individual vessels built up from flattened coils of clay which are subsequently pinched, scraped and beaten into shape using hands and a variety of implements. The results are slipped, burnished and low fired to produce a smooth white surface suitable for decoration.
2010 - present
The patterns come from many sources - some are simple everyday designs - zig zag, checker etc. and some very bold, others intricate and complex. The fun starts in transferring 2D patterns to 3D surfaces! They are initially outlined on to the pots with soft pencil and then a black stain mix is used to paint on the actual design. A second, higher firing fixes the decoration. Finally a wax polish completes the process.
2010 - present
Each vessel takes many hours to complete. Most of the making process is done by Ant and most of the decorating by Di so each pot is the result of input by us both - to produce what we hope is an object of beauty.