creative spaces :: linda bloomfield

I love Linda Bloomfield’s work, especially her gorgeous teaset. Her products are perfectly formed to fit the human hand, incredibly tactile and well designed – the teapot pours perfectly without spilling a drop. So it is with great pleasure that I present a little look around the studio where it all happens.

Linda hand throws all her work on the wheel and then sometimes adds dimples (perfectly placed for finger and thumb) or alters the shape, for example her teapots gets squashed on one side, a lid cut out and a handle added.

Here’s one of Linda’s trademark dimples in the making.

A selection of brushes in a fabulous retro pot – and I love the patina behind created by splatters of clay.

Linda uses all her own glazes and avoids using commercial ceramic colours. Sha said: “I particularly like tactile satin matt glazes which feel like marble. Most tableware nowadays has very shiny surfaces.”

I asked Linda who her pottery heroes are: “Lucie Rie, Eva Zeisel, I am particularly interested in women potters who fled to Europe and the USA at the outbreak of the second world war including Bauhaus students Grete Marks and Marguerite Wildenhain. I think female potters (and Jonathan Adler) make beautifully rounded organic forms.”

Here is Linda’s wheel and more splattered clay…

And for inspiration she turns to ”Eva Zeisel, designer of mid 20th century tableware, and other midcentury potteries such as Heath Ceramics, Poole Pottery Twintone and Branksome China. I also love Japanese pottery and lived in Japan for a year in the 90s.”

And Linda’s advice for the aspiring potter? ”Keep practising and don’t give up.”

Linda Bloomfield will be on stand LP50 at Pulse 2012 at London’s Earl’s Court from Sunday 10th – Tuesday 12th June 2012. Pulse is a design trade show focusing on five key areas: home, gifts, fashion accessories, wellbeing and Launchpad. I’ll have a stand in the Launchpad section selling my book, so make sure you come and find me too if you’re going to be there.

Further reading for the especially geeky:

• creative spaces :: jonathan adler
• design geekery :: bauhaus art as life
• creative spaces :: bernard leach
• creative spaces :: chase and wonder