Meet the maker behind Ruth Readman Ceramics
Ruth of Dorset-based ceramics studio Ruth Readman Ceramics creates beautiful hand-built pieces inspired by the landscapes, colours and memories of the county she calls home. From sculptural moon jars to carefully crafted tableware glazed in shades drawn from the Jurassic Coast, her work balances form, texture and a deep connection to place. We caught up with Ruth to talk about her creative journey, life as a ceramicist, finding inspiration in Dorset’s coastline, and how potters are some of the friendliest people in the craft world.
10% off Ruth Readman this month with the code ‘DorsetPotter’
Hi Ruth, can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?
Hi, my name is Ruth and I have worked with clay for the past 20 years. I frequently take part in ceramic fairs across the country, as well as selling my work through galleries and Folksy.
How would you describe your work?
I describe myself as a hand building ceramicist who focuses on form and surface. I’m often experimental in my approach, particularly with my larger pieces. I also make a small collection of tableware, and the glazes for these are all inspired by locations such as Man O’ War Cove, the ochre coloured cliffs at Burton Bradstock, or the pale pink that you find in the sky when the sun sets over Chesil Beach.
How did you get into ceramics?
I was fortunate enough to have a ceramics teacher at school who encouraged us to explore our ideas three-dimensionally, as well as through painting and drawing. In my final year, we had an artist in residence, an American potter named Marc Lancet, and we made huge totem poles, which are still standing at the very heart of the school to this day.
I then went on to study my Foundation course and, although I thought I was going to study sculpture, I looked back at the body of work I had produced and realised everything could be made out of clay. It made sense to switch, before I had even begun, to the 3D Design course specialising in ceramics at Bath Spa University.
What’s your process to bring an idea to a fully finished, on-the-shelf, final product?
Gosh, this is a tricky one to answer. I can be really impulsive at times and just get into the studio and literally throw clay around, carving into it and seeing what happens. That’s normally when something is niggling away at the back of my mind and I can’t think of a way of expressing it through a drawing first.
However, when it comes to the functional pieces, such as my Mug collections, they do tend to start with a series of technical drawings and glaze tests.
With the large moon jars, though, I really focus on the form first. The texture and applied surface come second, and from that point until it comes out of the kiln, I don’t even consider what the painted surface is going to be like. I need to make that decision once I’ve seen the piece.
What would you say is your biggest design inspiration?
It has to be the Dorset landscape, whether it be in the north of the county in the Blackmore Vale, which is where I live, or the rather beautiful Jurassic Coastline. I’ve lived in Dorset for the majority of my life and there’s just something about it that keeps pulling me back. I find myself trying to articulate it through clay without being too descriptive of a place.
I guess I’m trying to hold on to memories, particularly of my childhood, when we went night fishing, scrambled along the coastline, fossil hunted, swam in the sea and went camping, all the usual magical childhood stuff.
Talk to me about your studio space?
My studio is in my house and it is tiny, which is why there isn’t a photo of it included in this blog. It’s a game of Tetris; any time I want something, I have to move something else out of the way. I’m currently in the middle of show season so it’s pure chaos. But it is very cleverly designed. Most of my equipment is on wheels that I can manoeuvre around.
It’s the dream, isn’t it? I think for most people, having a dedicated workspace is enough, and I’m fortunate enough to have that. I’d just like it to be six times the size.
Is there any part of running your own creative business that you don’t enjoy, and would love to delegate elsewhere?
Keeping on top of the admin.
What creative project is in your dreams but you haven’t gotten round to yet?
I’ve just started exploring wood firing and this is definitely something that I’m going to do more of. I also have dreams of making a series of incredibly tall vessels that tower over you when you walk around them. The ideas are there; I’m just waiting for the right opportunities to present themselves.
If you weren’t a ceramicist, what creative avenue do you think you’d be walking?
Oh, this is a tough one. I think most ceramicists are actually drawn to woodwork in one form or another, particularly carving and turning. However, if I think back to my teenage years, when I was exploring what creative path I wanted to follow, it was actually becoming a blacksmith.
Your product photography is lovely, do you have any tips for other makers struggling with photographing their makes?
I try to take a mix of photographs, some under studio lighting. I have a really large light box, but if the natural sunlight is good enough, I rely on that. So, it’s usually a classic white background, well lit, with very little editing. When I am editing, I try and tweak the colours so everything looks as true to life as possible.
I also seek out opportunities for warmer, more inviting shoots that make you think you could own this piece in your own home, include props or texture into the background. Two weeks ago, for example, I was at a show at Compton Verney and the light just happened to be absolutely perfect, it was nicely diffused through the clouds. So I took a plinth off my stand and photographed my work piece by piece in this beautiful setting, with the lake and ancient trees behind it. It just really worked.
Always keep your mind open and be ready to shoot when the light is right.
And finally…what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who’s wanting to start out in the world of ceramics?
Learn the rules, then break the rules. And don’t be afraid to ask potters questions, we are the friendliest bunch of people in the craft world.
10% off Ruth Readman this month with the code ‘DorsetPotter’
