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My Ceramics

In the studio I like to do	Throwing on the Wheel, Everything to do with Ceramics
Pottery Wheel	I mostly use a kick wheel, but some work is made on an electric wheel.
Clay body	Stoneware, Porcelain
Clay Brand	I make my own
Kiln Type	Gas Kiln, Wood Fired Kiln
Kiln Atmosphere	Reduction Atmosphere
Temperature	Cone 9/10 for gas firings and cone 12 for wood.
Glaze	My work explores the links between ceramics and geology and place, making pots entirely from geological samples that I have collected from specific locations around the country. The pieces that I make illustrate another way of looking at these materials and the colours and textures that they are capable of producing in the kiln: inspiration coming from the materials themselves, the qualities that they develop in firings and the places that I have collected them from. Increasingly my approach becomes simpler and simpler, taking ceramics back to its essence. I use these materials as unrefined as possible: rocks are crushed, milled, and blended to create the glazes, clays are often used as dug straight from the ground.
You can buy my work from	My website shop and various Ceramic Fairs and galleries in the UK, and exhibitions.

About Me

Introduction	My name is Matthew Blakely. I have lived in a number of different places, including Australia for 14 years. I now live just outside Cambridge in the East of the UK. I make wood fired and gas fired pots, using clays and rocks that I have collected from around the country.
What I Love about Ceramics	I love ceramics that capture the touch of the maker along with the character of the materials used, and how they have been transformed by the heat of the kiln.
How I started with ceramics	I started doing pottery evening classes at university , enjoyed them far far more than my degree, and then spent the next few years trying to get my hands on clay, while travelling the world, until getting into East Sydney Technical College to study ceramics for 3 years.
What inspires me	My materials.
What I'm working on at the moment	I rebuilt one of my wood kilns during lockdown, which is a different design to those I’m used to. I’ve done 2 firings in it so far and am still learning how to best work with it. The results are very encouraging but I’m making clay for another firing as soon as I can.
My Artist Statement	I was born in the UK but emigrated to Australia in 1988 and studied Ceramics at The National Art School Sydney. I have worked as a potter ever since, building workshops and kilns in Australia and the UK, on my return in 2002. Currently I live and work in a small village on the edge of the Fens, near Cambridge. I have a gas kiln and two wood kilns that I use to fire my work. Since 2010 I have been researching the geology of Britain and using found rocks and clays to make my work. I have been a member of the CPA since 2004 and a Fellow since 2010. From 2016 to 2021 I was a Trustee of Clay College Stoke, helping set it up and running a much needed practical skills based Tertiary Ceramics Course.
My CV	My career highlights are the periodic times I have unbricked a kiln door to reveal a successful firing, where the materials and kiln have conspired to surprise me.