Introducing : Hannah Lawrence

Ceramicist, Hannah Lawrence, has long been a favourite at our sister shop, No.56. We have recently added some new work to the handworked shop and website, as her methods and the aesthetics of each piece, sit well with our hand-worked concept.

Born and raised in Cornwall, Hannah spent time working and studying in both Australia and Japan, before returning to the county. Now living on The Lizard Peninsula, with a workshop in Gweek, Hannah uses the hand-building method of pinch pottery to form her vessels, which are influenced by the the traditional pottery of Africa, Japan and Egypt.

Clay from Doble’s, an established clay pit in St Agnes and wood ash glazes, are used to create pieces with character and texture. The wood ash glazes are a combination of a standard glaze material mixed with wood ash from a burner. Each tree species and even each individual tree, will have different characteristics when turned into a glaze and although Hannah has one main recipe (Nuka), the finish will vary depending on the type of ash used.

Preferring pinch pottery, Hannah uses minimal tools, enabling the natural form and texture to be revealed. This method creates an immediate relationship with the medium and a feeling of intimacy with each piece, leaving marks in the clay which tell the story of how each piece is made.

An edited selection of Hannah’s work can be found online here, with more pieces available in the shop.