Adrian Gonzalez
London-based potter Adrian Gonzalez has been making pots for 30 years. His amazing versatility extends from large moon jars covered in volcanic craters to fine tableware for high-end London restaurants such as Aqua and Soho House. His work is represented by various galleries across London including Highgate Contemporary.
As studio manager, Adrian brings a lifetime of wheel throwing expertise, knowledge of glaze technology and how to run a pottery studio efficiently.
Grace Kenrick
Grace began practising ceramics while living in Barcelona in 2017 where she was mentored by Mario Leal during a year-long apprenticeship in traditional earthenware pottery. She then completed a 2 year vocational course in Artistic Ceramics at the Granada School of Art, before moving to Italy where she continued her training on the wheel at La Meridiana in Tuscany. Before she began working with clay, Grace was making her living as a language teacher and has almost 10 years of teaching under her belt, with education forming an important part of her philosophy as a potter.
Since returning to her hometown of London, Grace has been working as a studio technician and pottery tutor at Urban Potters, alongside developing her own ceramic practice. Particularly interested in glaze development and alternative firings, Grace specialises in making wheel-thrown tableware with earthy, tactile surfaces for daily use in the home.
Deej Amin
Khadijah (or Deej for short) is originally from Manchester, but has been living in London since 2006. Always keen to learn new things, she attended her first pottery taster class while living and working in Japan in 2015. Finding it much harder but much more enjoyable than she could have imagined, she was keen to dive further into the world of pottery. After completing her Masters degree back in London, she signed up for evening classes in late 2016. Once a week classes weren't enough to satisfy her curiosity for clay, so she joined a communal studio to continue making, while learning from various teachers across London in evening classes.
She enjoys experimenting with new forms and colours, and has been particularly inspired by the three years she spent living in Japan. Her main focus is functional wheel-thrown pottery, finding great enjoyment from making objects which can be used every day. In the last few years, she has also fallen down the rabbit-hole of making and testing her own glazes, to bring as many colours as possible into her work.
Melissa Restrepo
Melissa first found her way to pottery when she moved to London for her Master’s program. After just one taste she was instantly hooked, signed up for a course, and kept looking for ways to spend more and more time around clay. She has always liked creating things with her hands, and finds getting muddy incredibly therapeutic.
Devoted to keep learning and exploring pottery, she now works full-time as a technician and teacher. She hopes her classes will be a creative and welcoming space where people can fall in love with clay just as she did.
Ben Nicholls
Ben is a London-based ceramicist, who grew up in the rural countryside of Kent. Since the age of 16, he’s been throwing on the potter's wheel. His practice involves understanding the versatility of the clay and exploring the infinite ways it can be thrown and styled. Ben studied Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martin and teaches across various studios in London
Brandon Deshong
Brandon is a studio technician and teacher at Urban Potters. He specialises in hand-building and is currently producing sculptures for display and sale. He often mixes more than one technique, like pinching, flat coils and slabs to achieve the size and shape of his designs.
Interested in light and shadow, he has also explored wheel throwing with porcelain to create a series of marbled, translucent vessels.
Esme
Esme is a self-taught potter who lives in and around London. She fell into ceramics when she came across Hackney City Farm's drop-in sessions with friends, before finding the dedicated time and space to develop her skill and knowledge of ceramics in a work exchange with us here at Urban Potters. She now works as a technician at our Member's studio and a teacher at our Classes studio. When Esme finds precious time for making, her handbuilt vessels behave as an extension of her poetry practice.
Carina Ciscato
Carina Ciscato was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1970. She was introduced to Studio Pottery in Krefeld, Germany, after graduating in Industrial Design in Sao Paulo in 1992. Upon returning to Brazil, she apprenticed under Lucia Ramenzoni for six years.
In 1999, Carina moved to London where she worked as an assistant in the studio of Julian Stair and Edmund de Waal. Since 2003, she has established her own studio in Vanguard Court, South London, where she continues to work to this day.
Taïr Almor
Taïr is a multidisciplinary artist and designer, specializing in ceramics and drawing inspiration from her background in industrial design. She is interested in exploring the intersection between traditional craftsmanship and modern production methods. Her work includes various technologies and mold making, and is mostly sculptural work on a large scale.
William Martin
Will Martin’s ceramic journey began at age 8, taking weekend classes near his local library. After High School he went on to study Art History, Anthropology and English at the University of Cape Town. Having exhibited nationally and internationally at 21, he moved to the UK for a Masters in Contemporary Art History at Christies’ Education. Over the past decade in London he has been teaching, exhibiting and cooking, often platforming other artists and institutions in order to build a sense of community. Martin enjoys making immersive environments - the artworks, the food and the crockery - resulting in a cohesive space and memorable encounters.
Lev Rosenbush
Lev is a designer and maker from Brooklyn, New York. He learned how to throw pots in 2016 on a kick wheel in secondary school. Lev went on to study fine art at Kenyon College in Ohio whilst playing NCAA football (soccer) for 3 years. He completed his BA at Central Saint Martins studying Ceramic Design. His practice draws from his experience as a footballer and ceramicist.
Lev’s background in athletics has crafted a unique teaching style that is motivational yet relaxed. He emphasizes the full body nature of the craft, the connection between the mind and hands.