‘My flower design was inspired by my gran’s earrings’
Moving to the country led Emma Clegg, 48, from Moreton-in-marsh, Gloucestershire, to rediscover a craft.
‘Walking into my first pottery class, I felt the familiar warmth from the kilns wash over me. The earthy, cloying scent of clay filled the air as I waited to begin the lesson. My dad owned pottery factories when I was little, so stepping back into this world felt like coming home.
I’d given up a demanding job in London and my husband, Howard, and I had moved to the Cotswolds for a quieter life. I was looking after our young daughter Anna when I heard about the local pottery class and was keen to give something new a try. So I signed up and right from my first spin
on the pottery wheel, I was hooked. When my teacher bought the first pot I made, I realised this was something I was good at doing. After the course finished, I wanted to keep potting and looked into buying my own kiln so I could set the finished pottery myself.
It cost £1,200, so I saved up by running children’s pottery parties and set up my first studio in a converted shed. Growing up, I’d been fascinated by my grandmother’s pair of flower-shaped ceramic earrings and these became the inspiration for my “hedgerow series” – translucent porcelain decorated with hand-formed flowers.
This style of floral pottery became my signature design and I created pots, vases, bowls and other pieces, which I sold for between £55 and £200.
Promoting my work online and going to craft fairs gave me such a buzz. I broadened my connections and my proudest achievement was being part of the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt in 2012. I designed a ceramic egg and was assigned Sotheby’s as a sponsor, who displayed it in their window before inviting people to bid for it.
I was astounded when it sold for £17,500 – it was a real pinch-me moment!
I set up a new studio and showroom on a nearby farm, investing £2,000. Everything was going smoothly until 2015, when Howard was diagnosed with cancer and had to leave his job. With two daughters, we were forced to rethink what was best for our family.
We’d dreamed about opening our own gallery, so when Howard’s treatment finished, we took the plunge. In 2016, the Stratford Gallery opened.
It’s been a long journey to get to where I am today, but I’ve got the best of both worlds: I can create my own work as well as represent some truly talented artists. Going into pottery has felt like coming home.’ • thestratfordgallery.co.uk