CLAY CREATIVITY

A quarter-finalist on The Great Pottery Throw Down, local potter Cáit Could invited us down to her Newbury studio for some clay crafting...

- Sarah Rodi

With a new home on More 4 and a new presenter in Melanie Sykes, the popular The Great Pottery Throw Down competition has got the nation all fired up. A quarterfinalist in series two, Berkshire-based ceramicist Cáit Gould says since appearing on the show she has seen an increase in demand for her workshops and ceramics.

Cáit has been passionate about clay since studying Ceramics at Glasgow School of Art in 2002, where she developed skills in a wide range of ceramic-making techniques; from throwing and hand-building to mould-making and raku firing.

“I initially went into teaching, and even taught in China, but visiting the China factories there, and the Emperor’s Kiln, I was reminded of my passion for clay, so I decided to persue my dream on a professional basis a few years ago,” she says.

Having been selected to take part in BBC2’s Great Pottery Throw Down, Cáit impressed the judges with, among other creations, ‘Hoot’; an enormous owl clock, a dog-inspired fountain and a bouquet of roses.

While the show certainly had its quota of stress; having to create works of art against tight time frames in front of six studio cameras, Cáit says she enjoyed the experience and made lifelong pottery friends.