Kate Malone on clay
24.04.19. Maker’s studio, London
Kate Malone is one of Britain’s most important ceramicists, with pieces in the collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Manchester Art Gallery and the V&A, to name just a few.
She works in many different areas, from nature-inspired gallery pieces to batch production mugs via public art and architectural commissions – as she puts it rather wonderfully, her projects range in value from £25 to £1.5 million.
In a discussion that can only be described as wide-ranging, we talk about her fascination with the natural world; how a near-deadly bout of meningitis changed her life for the better; her time as a TV judge on The Great Pottery Throwdown (clue: she was the one that didn’t burst into tears continually); and why exactly people used to mistake her for Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall.
The thread through it all is her love of clay and the joy she evidently finds in communicating with it.
Find out more about Kate Malone
A Bright Atomic Magma Spiral Vase was created from crystalline-glazed stoneware in 2018.
A detail of Malone’s exquisite glazing. 
A Pair of Striped Magma Vases, made from crystalline-glazed stoneware in 2018.
Waddesdon Sprigged Big Mother Pumpkin was made from crystalline-glazed stoneware in 2016. All images courtesy of Adrian Sassoon, London.