About

Hi I’m Despina

I design, make and sell handmade pottery from my studio in South Devon.

In my work, from my playful wall pieces to my minimalistic tableware, I explore beauty and simplicity. My ceramics are made using traditional techniques - handbuilding and throwing -while being hand-painted with colourful glazes and oxides. I use earthenware terracotta clay for my decorative work and stoneware clay for my tableware.

I believe in craftsmanship and traditional skills. This means pieces are made slowly and intentionally. I love making beautiful things that give people a smile and functional things that could be used every day. I enjoy the inner peace and serenity that emanates from working with clay. My inspiration comes from my Greek heritage and the British countryside. My love of nature, the coast and the sea is ever-present in my work and is portrayed in the themes of my designs, their shapes, and their colours.

 

My Story

I’ve been a potter for more than 15 years.

I grew up on a Greek island where there is a strong tradition and history in pottery and beautiful ceramics always appealed to my sense of aesthetics. For as long as I remember, I have enjoyed creating, whether it was drawing, crafting, cooking or playing with clay.

After completing a BA in Cartography at the University of the Aegean in Greece, I moved to London where I discovered my passion for ceramics in my late 20s and then I decided to retrain as a potter.  It was the desire to become a hands-on maker that pushed me to start again and go back to college. I took a series of pottery courses over four years, having next to me the brilliant teachers Lesley McShea and John Higgins.

Between 2009-2014 I was based at the Petr Weigl studio in north London and between 2014-2016 I was sharing a studio with the brilliant potters Edit Juhasz and Kerry Hastings.  Working for Kate Malone in 2012 for a project in Brighton has been a significant hands-on experience for me. 

During my time in London, I set up ‘‘Despina Ceramics’’ while promoting my work at markets and fairs. In 2016 I moved from London to South Devon and now work from my studio in the beautiful town of Totnes, where I live with my husband and my beautiful twins.

Driven by a desire to share the joy of pottery with others, I established Unit L Pottery Studio in Totnes from where I offer private tuition and workshops.

 

My Pots

In the beginning of my career as a potter I explored hand building techniques, textures and colours. Therefore, I developed my decorative pieces with terracotta clay and slips and mastered them using mixed media techniques. I was mainly self-taught and driven by my desire and curiosity to learn more about the raw materials.

By moving to Devon and starting a family, I needed plates, bowls, cups and I had clay! I had tried several times in the past to master the pottery wheel, but I had not fully dedicated myself. Opening my own studio, felt that it was the right time. My desire and my love of handmade objects in our everyday life pushed me to learn to throw on a pottery wheel and explore the vast world of glazes.

I fully enjoy it now as I’m getting better and better on the wheel and develop my own glazes, which is my recent passion.

I currently sell my ceramics on my website and from my studio in Totnes where you will find my new tableware collection as well as my decorative work and some unique one-off pieces. I let my work evolve naturally, constantly exploring new forms and glazes and changing my collection accordingly.