Nick McKenzie

I entered the ceramics Department of the North East Worcestershire College where I completed City & Guilds Parts I & II, Research for Craft Design, Design for Hand Craft Production, and Extended Ceramics Skills under Usha Khosla and Terry Shone, who now has a studio in Whitby. 

I then worked part time for two years as technician to the ceramics Department of the College in charge of glazes and firing. Glazes became a particular interest, and I have always used ones developed by myself, now having a palette of nearly 40 different recipes.

All my work is slab with which I can experiment the infinite number of geometric shapes. I am greatly influenced by the mosaics and tiles of the Islamic World some of which demonstrate their knowledge of advanced geometry many hundreds of years ago.

I use mainly a white stoneware clay with inlaid decoration of coloured slips, they are fired to 1280°C and some include mosaics of glass tesserae or pieces of glazed pottery.