Trend: Blue and white ceramics
I meant to post about these plates ages ago when the Heal’s Craft Market was still on. They’re by Majolica Works – AKA artist Wendy Jones and potter Liam Curtin – and are made from tin glazed earthenware, which is thrown and hand painted using traditional Majolica techniques. I admit it, I had to look up what Majolica means and it’s this: ‘Italian earthenware covered with an opaque glaze of tin oxide and usually highly decorated.’
I just love the patterns on those big plates above, I’d wear them if I could.
Wendy and Liam set up Majolica Works in 1984 and ran it for years before Liam became more involved in Public Art (in fact they both founded The Art Department public art consultancy and have been involved in the regeneration of Manchester’s Northern Quarter). ‘However, now and then he throws a batch of work and I decorate it,’ says Wendy. ‘The blue and white just evolved, we used to make a very mixed colourful range of work at the start. I now do both and have made a few collections using a small range of colour.’
You can order direct from Majolica Works Studio and according to Contemporary Applied Arts, ‘Selected Private Collections’ include Peter Blake and David Hockney, so you’d be in good company if you do.
my son and his partner are hard to buy for and I managed to get them each one of the Wendy Jones blue and white coffee cups last Christmas…instant success! They are so beautiful and it has been good to see this page and be reminded of them
Thanks Anna, yes they are so lovely I wish I’d bought some at Heal’s – might save for some in future.