belen gomez ceramics

archive 

From 1984-1996 I ran a busy pottery studio, first in London and then in Liverpool with my partner, the artist John Dilnot. We sold to high end stores, shops, craft galleries and fairs in Great Britain, USA, Japan, Bermuda and Bahrain amongst other places. For several years Liberty of London stocked my work. A memorable commission for the Henri Bendel store in New York (originally a milliners) was a set of 12 platters depicting women wearing different fancy hats.
 
I originally began making my pottery using hand building methods but as demand for work grew I developed a pottery range derived from the one off a kind pieces which was mould made and more affordable. Most of our wares were made at our pottery studio but eventually some of the ranges were also cast by Kevin Millward at Gladstone Pottery, Stoke On Trent. All work was designed and hand painted by myself using underglaze colours on a white earthenware body and then clear glazed.

I have always been drawn to narrative and figuration and ideas sprung from the many jottings and drawings in my notebooks. The designs inhabit a playful world of gardens, lovers, the sea and daydreams. A love of colour and decoration made the European earthenware tradition in particular a source of inspiration as did miniature Indian painting and textiles.

My work was once described as "a vision of innocence and earthly delight as buoyant and uplifting as a summer garden".

Here are some of the galleries that exhibited my work. The Illustrated Potter, Sue Williams Gallery both London. Hitchcocks of Bath, The Bluecoat Display Centre Liverpool, The Open Eye Gallery Edinburgh, BesideThe Wave Falmouth, Oriel Mostyn Llandudno, Frivoli Chiswick, Brewery Art Centre Cirencester.

I studied ceramics at Camberwell School of Art and Crafts, London 1981-1984 and took an Art Foundation Course at Sir John Cass School of Art, London 1980-1981.


starry clover china and pottery

From 2009-2015 I designed illustrations, which were screen printed in ceramic enamel glazes onto special paper sheets by a highly skilled ceramic printer Duncan Williams. I then applied these on to china ware, bought in Stoke On Trent and fired the designs on to the china in my studio. I also applied these designs on to hand made jugs, vases and dishes. I sold this work mostly directly through craft fairs, my studio shop in Brighton and from my website.


collecting, repairs and thank you

I would like to thank all the people who have written to me asking if I am the same person who made the pot they bought all that time ago. I have been very touched by the incredibly lovely emails I've received and what my work has meant to the people that bought it. Some people have also contacted me recently as regards collecting work that I made during that time and as a result I have added this page to my website.
I have also been contacted as regards repairs to favourite pieces that have been accidentally damaged. In this instance I recommend seeking a ceramic restorer, local antique galleries should be able to suggest a good one.

 
 
All work is copyright Belen Gomez Ceramics 2023