Jo Connell

A member of the Craft Potters Association and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Jo taught in schools and colleges for many years, latterly running short courses at West Dean College in Sussex. Her work has been exhibited widely and she has had two books published – The Potter’s Guide to Ceramics Surfaces and Colouring Clay.

Never tiring of working with clay, she is attracted to its versatility and its ability to imitate other materials, such as leather, skin, rock or sand. Achieving these effects presents challenges which are hard to resist. Her work explores natural form and specifically plant growth and structure. She is known for her work with stained clays, which are marbled, layered and manipulated to create interesting surfaces and colours.

Travel is a great influence – a collection of patio sculptures inspired by cacti in southern Europe; New Zealand tree ferns feature as textural surface pattern on her pillow forms; rocks, pebbles and landscape continue to be a source of inspiration and experimentation.