Derek Matthews: Crackingpots

Derek Matthews is a Selected Member of The Craft Potters Association.

Many of his ceramics start with a narrative that’s either imagined, half remembered, carefully researched or commissioned.

Working on one piece at a time, every piece he creates is totally unique.

“My output is low and slow”

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

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

Derek was once described as “Possibly one of the UK’s most successful illustrators that no-one has ever heard of.” For more than forty years, with agents in London ,Tokyo and Toronto he created work for a raft of top flight international and UK clients. The Snappy series of children’s books he illustrated won several awards, sold more than 13 million copies worldwide and even managed an American number one best seller.

More Products from Derek Matthews: Crackingpots