Image courtesy of Jessica Thomas
Based out of my garden studio in south Oxfordshire, I am a studio potter making wheel thrown functional pieces and, more recently, handmade coiled, pinched and slab pots. My work has a simple aesthetic that focuses on form and functionality, with surfaces inspired by those found in nature. Influenced by the rawness of the clay; the restriction in palette is offset by my desire to make marks, leave an imprint and allow texture to have a say.
Having worked for 20 years as an interior architect and designer; in 2013 I turned to pottery, initially as a hobby, because I wanted to make something rather than just design it. An instinctively practical and creative person, my prior experiences continue to exert a strong influence over my work today; where functionality, simplicity of form, and texture are the running themes in all of the pieces that I create. I am further inspired by the intrinsic values of precision, aesthetics, utility and modesty.
I strive to produce work that is contemporary, quietly muted, simple, elegant, tactile and functional; easy to live with and a pleasure to own.
Associate Member of The Craft Potters Association
“Leighan is one of the longest standing makers that we've had the privilege of working with. Our fondest trips are those to Leighans beautiful Oxfordshire home where she creates simple, elegant pieces. Her taste is natural, which is reflected effortlessly in her ceramics. A timelessness prevails, raw clay is left to show the earthiness of the material used for centuries yet the modern forms bring the pots back into contemporary living” - Midgley Green
Stockists
Gallery at Waterperry, Oxford
Derwent House Witney Oxfordshire
Last Interior Design Haddenham, Buckinghamshire
New Brewery Arts, Cirencester Gloucestershire
SOTA Gallery Witney, Oxfordshire
Upcoming Shows
Celebrating Ceramics Waterperry Gardens, Oxford 19-21 July 2024
Art in Clay Farnham Maltings, GU9 7QR 16-17 November 2024
Modern Makers Collective Yattendon Winter Market 23-24 November 2024