potter
Charlie Collier
Made on the edge of the Cotswolds in Great Wolford, Charlie makes domestic ware – pots for use – beautiful everyday objects.
‘I think it’s only logical and proper to want to use locally sourced, hand prepared materials. I try to keep it simple, and make what looks and feels right. I look for in a pot what you seek in other people warmth, generosity and most importantly, life. Pots offer that direct link between the makers hand, and the user – I believe it’s a craft that’s just as much about feel, as it is form and function.’
Charlie likes to uphold a standard of traditional skills, held amongst the few remaining handmade production potteries in the UK. Having been trained as a professional flowerpot thrower, the balance of speed, efficiency and quality has become a never ending game. Deft, quality touches are what’s required for the pots flowing through one’s workshop to transmit that life and energy to the user. The love for what he does shines through in the pots.
The whole process is done by hand. He mixes, wedges & kneads all the clay. Charlie tests, develops and mixes up his own glaze recipes, collecting, preparing and sourcing all the raw materials. His pottery is predominantly gas fired stoneware (cone 10. Twice fired – bisque & glaze) – Cornish clay, with local slips, wood ash glazes, and a few bespoke oriental-type glazes. He throws the majority of his pots on an electric wheel and use a gas kiln use for the bulk of his production. As part of the Oxford Anagama project, Charlie also wood fires a small selection of pots every year.