2026 – Taking part in Potfest in the City- Glasgow

Rowena makes functional pottery in electric and wood-fired stoneware. Both ranges feature work that’s thrown on the potters’ wheel alongside hand-built pieces using inlay, press-moulding and carving. Her products include tableware, decorative vases and planters as well as more sculptural objects. Designs often feature energetic marks, introducing pattern and texture with the simplest of carved lines, slip and oxide decorating techniques. She enjoys the interplay between the matte surface of the bare clay and the sheen of a glaze. Everything functions well, is durable and comfortable to hold.

Based in studios at New Mills and Blackwell, Rowena aims to continue Derbyshire’s tradition of functional pottery. She makes use of the abundance of natural clays and rocks in the ground. Making colours and glazes that try to minimise the use of ingredients derived from rare, finite materials. It can often be hard to find out where commercial materials for making pottery have come from, and how they have been mined. Understanding provenance is important for reducing the impact of her practice on the environment.

Her inspiration comes from archaeology, anthropology and the long human history of making pots. Using local materials, from clay and glazes to the waste wood used for firing, helps her to maintain a connection to place, an enduring part of potters’ lives through the ages.

rowenahamilton.works