Derek Matthews: Crackingpots

Many of my ceramics start with a narrative that’s either imagined, half remembered, carefully researched or commissioned. I am always interested in taking on commissioned work especially of a commemorative nature.

A love of whimsy, folk art, religious and tribal art and my background as an illustrator, all go into the mix.

I work with a variety of clays into which I often add other fragments of additional material. These ”inclusions” plus the use of oxides and multiple firings add to the alchemy and give the clay a distressed or patinated surface.

Once described as “Possibly one of the UK’s most successful illustrators that no-one has ever heard of” Derek Matthews has worked for a raft of top flight clients from Tokyo to Toronto. The Snappy series of children’s books he illustrated sold more than 13 million copies worldwide including a number one American best seller.