One clay and one glaze. Karen Downing throws porcelain tableware in her studio in the Brecklands of west Norfolk, and all of it comes out the same creamy white. The repetition is deliberate. Karen throws the same forms again and again, refining them a little each time. Porcelain never behaves exactly the same way twice, so no two pieces match, which is rather the point. These are pots for use: for filling, holding, eating from and putting through the washing up, not for a shelf. She is a member of the Craft Potters Association, and her work has been exhibited across the UK and in Europe, Japan and the USA. In London it's sold at Contemporary Ceramics Centre, the association's own gallery. Patrick Grant included her in Less, and in 2023 she made single-stem vases for Kate Friend's As Chosen By series at Lyndsey Ingram. You can buy from her website, or ring and arrange to visit the studio. A bowl bought from the person who threw it, in the room where it was made, is the better way to own one, and I'd always make the trip to find a place like hers.

Awards and Recognition

Member of the Craft Potters Association. Named in Patrick Grant's Less (2024). Work exhibited in the UK, Europe, Japan and the USA.

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/karendowning.porcelain/

Can people visit or buy direct?

Get in touch through Karen's website to visit the studio or discuss a commission. Her work is also sold online through her website and at Contemporary Ceramics Centre, London.

Website

https://www.karendowning.co

Address Summary

The Brecklands, Norfolk