Image: Georgie Gardiner

Blooming Beautiful Studio Pottery

June 27, 2026

Following our Iconic Floral Patterns blog exploring the more traditional side of ceramics and floral decoration, in contrast we’ve been browsing big bold blooms in the form of studio pottery.

Flowers have and always will continue to be a huge source of inspiration for fine art and design – used to decorate the clothes we wear, the interiors of our homes, the plates we eat from.

The latest Clay College exhibition, ‘Pots for Flowers’, ‘is a celebration of floral-inspired ceramics created by six renowned professional potters from across the UK’. Showcasing wheel-thrown and hand-built work in a variety of styles, shapes and colours – all objects have been inspired by flowers in some way, either used to decorate the surface or designed to hold them. We’ve hand-picked the pieces that stood out to us the most, below.

We highly recommend a visit to Clay College to see this free exhibition in person. Alternatively you can view the pieces online, with the option to purchase anything that takes your fancy, if it's still available! Check out The Ikebana Vessel exhibition too, featuring unique vases and bowls designed to be used for the Japanese art of flower arranging – all made by 'home grown' diploma students.

Featured Artist: David Binns

Based in a small rural village in North Wales, David’s career in ceramics started in the 80s and has spanned making, teaching and research. Inspired by natural landscapes, with a respect for the ‘fundamental principles of Japanese aesthetics’, David Binns current work is made of glazed vessel forms carved from solid blocks of porcelain or stoneware using woodworking chisels and blades. Creating pieces reminiscent of ‘hewn rock formations, his ceramics are glazed with a variety of copper and iron-bearing glazes.

Featured Artist: Georgie Gardiner

Making wheel-thrown vessel forms from her garden studio in the Surrey Hills, ceramicist Georgie Gardiner is known for her distinctive paper resist decoration. A technique she’s spent the past 20 years developing, her style is to balance bold and graphic with calm and understated. “I enjoy working within the constraints of this technique – I find if you narrow down your options (as there is so much you can do with clay!) the possibilities, even within that small area, become endless.”

Featured Artist: Jaeeun Kim

A ceramic artist based in the UK, Jaeeun Kim is originally from Korea. Working with porcelain and stoneware, she creates small, functional vessels with hand-painted surfaces. Focussing on simple forms, used almost as paper for drawing, she builds soft layers of colour and marks using underglaze. “My work begins with memories of walking back home as a child. Through making, I layer emotions and traces onto simple forms, and the process becomes a way of understanding myself.”

Featured Artist: Kate Sampson

Based in her garden studio in rural Kent, Kate Sampson’s work involves traditional ceramic forms combined with intricate and uplifting hand-painted decoration inspired by the native plants and wildlife that surround her. A background in illustration, she layers fine brushwork with sgraffito and wax resist to produce a rich, deep and distinctive style. Mainly working in stoneware, her designs celebrate the natural world and her love of ancient folk art and craft. “Clay is the most rewarding canvas I’ve come across. I hope to encourage an appreciation for this beautifully humble craft by treating traditional vessels as individual artworks.”

‘The Way Home’ – Large Abstract Blue Slipcast Vase by Jaeeun Kim

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‘The Way Home’ – Small Tree Roots Slipcast Vase by Jaeeun Kim

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Large Hand-Painted Stoneware Tulip Platter by Kate Sampson

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Small Hand-Painted Stoneware Saxifrage Bowl by Kate Sampson

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Featured Artist: Sarah Went

Based in Cambridge, Sarah Went makes functional porcelain pieces for the home – adding beauty to everyday life. Influenced by English Delftware and the soft green colour of Ancient Chinese pottery, each piece is hand-thrown on her potter’s wheel, then decorated to create the raised organic surface patterns.

Featured Artist: Tanya Gomez

Renowned for porcelain vessels in signature colours, Tanya Gomez has honed her skills over 20 years – using ‘dynamic throwing, cutting and assembling techniques to create large cylindrical shapes’. Inspired by her many years working on sailing yachts, travelling the world and coastal living, you can see how this has influenced the colours and shapes in her work. “My vessels and installations can look like they are flowing. Clay is contradictory like that. You’re using this beautiful soft material but to manipulate it my movements are direct, strong and controlled.”