1 - 31 July 2026: From Cornwall With Love by Hamish Jackson

PV Wednesday 1st July 6-8pm

We welcome St Ives based potter, Hamish Jackson, who has spent his time for this exhibition exploring Cornwall's landscapes and geology, collecting clays and processing them for use in his pots.

In his words; "Working with local materials connects me and the pots to this place. I love Cornwall, with its verdant valleys and rugged coastline. 

I have been loosening up my pots and pushing towards more enigmatic forms. I want my pots to retain a sense of the malleability of the clay. Its plasticity and freshness! These pots are all intended for use in the home, and I hope they become favourites!"

How were you first introduced to clay? And was there a defining moment that set you in this direction?

My wife, Lauren, is from L.A., and her dad enjoys pottery as a hobby. He took me along one day to the studio he went to, Cahuenga Pottery Studio in North Hollywood. I tried throwing on a wheel and was instantly hooked. Since then I’ve just kept practicing and learning. There is so much to learn in the world of pottery. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored or lose the desire to keep practicing.

You worked at Winchcombe Pottery in England before moving to the states?
My grandparents lived just down the road from Winchcombe Pottery, so once I got the bug it didn’t take me long to knock on the door. I’ve spent a few short stints there over the years. Winchcombe was very influential on me. It got me into wood firing, as well as production pottery. I read Pioneer Pottery whilst working there and was very inspired by Cardew’s ethos. Still am! That led me down the path to apprentice for Mark Hewitt who was one of Cardew’s apprentices at Wenford Bridge.

Your journey has been incredibly global. You’ve worked at potteries in the UK, including Winchcombe Pottery, apprenticing in North Carolina, a residency at the Shigaraki Cultural Park in Japan as well. Is there perhaps one thing you took away from each place that you couldn't have learned elsewhere?

Oh certainly. There are many things that I took away from each place. Every studio is set up a different way, the clays are always unique, and of course the potters. Even something so small as a wire tool (for taking off pots from the wheel). Every pottery I have been in has a slightly different tool for this. Of course you can buy them, but more potters are thrifty and make their own. I find potter's tools fascinating.

John Jessiman, a potter in Virginia (who started the Cub Creek Foundation), has some excellent tools for mark-making. His favorite is a very shabby piece of wood (a chunk that split off a pallet perhaps) with four nails driven through it. It’s rusty and looks lethal, but the wood has softened with age and use. Clay driven into its pores. One of my favorite tools is a porcupine quill that Mark Hewitt gave me when finishing my apprenticeship.

Japan was amazing. I would go back in a heartbeat. I had great clay and experiences there. It reaffirmed my desire to work with local materials. The Shigaraki clay is so special.

You studied for 3 years at Utah State University under John Neely, focusing on glaze chemistry. That must have been incredible. How did you find that time and what drew you to it? I’ve been to Alfred University for a short summer course in glaze chemistry and the scale of kilns and facilities at Universities like this blew my mind!

It was a hectic few years. Brilliant in a lot of ways but also challenging. I took geology classes and business classes, sculpture, stone carving, photography and print making amongst others. I am still reflecting on the experience and growing from it. In the first place I was so grateful to be accepted into the Master’s program. I had an undergraduate degree in literature where they normally require a bachelor of the Arts. John Neely pulled some administrative strings to get my apprenticeship counted as the equivalent of an undergrad art degree.

Unlike with many programs, the professors John Neely and Dan Murphy let you get on with what you want to study. In my case that was making glazes from local rocks. One of the best tools they had were these two small gas kilns that could be fired in five hours and unloaded the next day. This was perfect for glaze testing. I ran those kilns a lot. Also being at a big university gave me access to things I wouldn’t have dreamt of such as a SEM (a scanning electron microscope). With this tool and a friend in the geology department, I was able to get super zoomed in photographs of the microscopic detail of my glaze surfaces.

You spent a lot of time in the USA in particular, including North Carolina, Utah and Oregon. Could you tell us a bit about the pottery culture there, and how it differs from the UK?

The States are vast compared to here, from the landscapes to the resources. There are so many more potters, craft schools and clay programs. It's an exciting place to make pots and teach. It's just a shame the political situation is so dire. The place I sometimes regret leaving is North Carolina. Pottery is truly the art of the state. There is amazing clay all over and as a result there are potters everywhere, and a public who actively collects pottery. I didn’t know how good we had it there. You could just set up a table of pots by the side of the road and people would stop to buy them.

That being said, England has such a rich culture of pottery. I really love old English medieval pots and slipware. There is a lot of inspiration to be found here.

Is there anything in the USA you miss terribly?!

People, mostly. That’s the big one. Some of the landscapes. And some of the pottery materials, such as Helmar kaolin. I really liked that clay.

What drew you to processing your own clay and experimenting with local rocks to make glazes?

Pioneer Pottery by Michael Cardew started me off, and then apprenticing for Mark Hewitt. He uses all local clay and used to process it all himself. Whilst I was an apprentice, there we did lots of tests with a local granite and came up with a beautiful blue celadon glaze that Mark still uses today. It gets into you. When you see the unique surfaces that can result from using local rocks, it makes you wonder what that rock will do, and that rock. It’s endlessly fascinating.

If you would like to read more about my own experiments with turning granite into rocks, I go into it here: https://studiopotter.org/wild-glazes-your-backyard

How has your practice changed or evolved since moving back? I know you’ve done a lot of woodfiring in the past, and are currently working with slip - do you have a preference?

I’ve always loved traditional English slipware. It feels like home to me. So when we decided to move back I thought I would shake up my practice and dive into slipware.

The clay and glazes are completely different from what I have been working with for a long time (wood and salt or soda). It has presented some challenges, but I am really enjoying it. Especially going out to collect clays in my local area. It is thrilling to go out and find a new seam of clay, bring it back and test it. They each have their own character. I have been experimenting with different blends to get just the flavor I am looking for. It is kind of like baking, adding a sprinkle of this and a handful of that.

Working with wet slip is wonderful too. I have always done that, but with these slipware pots it is more evident. 

Recently I have been trying to loosen up my throwing and also reflect this in the slip decoration. I want the fired pots to retain a sense of the softness and malleability of the clay in its wet state. If you want to read more about my exploration into making more expressive pots, I did an interview series for Studio Potter Journal called “Embracing the Squish.” Here’s a link to one of the interviews: https://studiopotter.org/embracing-squish-interview-bede-clarke

Looking ahead, what are you most excited to explore next? I read you are hoping to build yourself a kiln! Will this be for wood firing? If so, is there a design you have in mind?

Yes indeed! I am very excited to build a kiln! The first step is finding some land near St. Ives, and then I can really start planning. Currently I am thinking a gas/wood hybrid kiln that I will add soda to. We are on the hunt for a place. Fingers crossed!

Once I am set up with a proper kiln at home and a studio, I hope to take on an apprentice. That prospect really excites me. With an apprentice I would want to engage in much more material research and explore Cornwall’s rich geology to a greater extent.

Speaking of the move back, you’re now working and teaching at The Leach Pottery. How is it going?

I feel so lucky to have landed a job at the Leach Pottery! I applied whilst we were still living in Oregon. We moved to Cornwall for this position. I’d dreamt of coming to work at the Leach but didn’t think it would ever happen. Everyone who works there is lovely, and you feel the history as you walk around.

It is a particularly exciting time there at the moment. We are on the cusp of moving into a new building on site. This will have room for several learning studios, including one large one where we can host school groups and other larger workshops. The production studio will have a much larger workspace, too. Phase two of the project is renovating and reimagining the museum. So in a year or so there will be a fabulous new museum experience also.

Turning to the work of others—what is the most recent ceramic vessel or piece of pottery you bought for yourself, and who made it?

I recently bought a Ron Meyers yunomi. Not one of his colorful ones but a wood fired cup. Super casually thrown and trimmed. It’s heavy and wonky. I love it.

Finally, who is a maker you love and admire that we should know about, but perhaps haven’t heard of?

Oh there are so many good ones. Check out George McCauley. He is a potter in Montana. So good. I wrote up an interview with him for Studio Potter magazine too. He’s one of my clay heroes. I have this mug of his with the best handle. He squeezed it whilst it was still wet in just the right way. So comfy and so squishy.