Familiar with the Great Female Ceramicists of the Past. The New Generation? Their Own Mark in Clay

Summary

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IN the 1930s there was no such thing as a career woman. Clarice Cliff was an oddity, not just for her exalted position in the pottery industry, but for the attitude that went with it. "Having a little fun at my work does not make me any less of an artist," she once said, "and people who appreciate truly beautiful and original creations in pottery are not frightened by innocent tomfooler y."

Cliff, it is widely accepted, was ahead of her time. In an era of smog-laden factories and harsh working conditions she brought a touch of glamour to Stoke-on-Trent. She's the sort of woman favoured by producers of between-the-wars costume dramas. Why they didn't make her a character in The House of Eliott I'll never know.

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Extract

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Familiar with the Great Female Ceramicists of the Past. The New Generation? Their Own Mark in Clay

Sadly, Clarice has, for 40 years, been no more. The years since her death in 1972 have seen the pottery industry decimated. Her famous 'Bizarre Girls' would find it hard to retain their upbeat demeanour when wandering the wastelands of North Staffordshire now.

But within this landscape there is hope. The industry may have suffered a near fatal wound but the female attachment to pottery continues to thrive. Boutique designers and artists still take immense inspiration from the area's heritage.

One such is Denise O'Sulliv...

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