More work can be seen on my website: www.jolucksted.com
or visit my facebook page: jo lucksted ceramics

I also have another Etsy shop for my vintage finds :
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thelovefleas

Basically, I'm a magpie...

Being a crafter/maker/artist ( I still don't know what to call myself!) satisfies the magpie in me. I covet things of beauty, whether that is in the form, or the texture or the material that something is made from, but always I value the skill that has gone into handmade or vintage pieces.
I hope that some elements of these qualities are reflected in the items I create.

Over the years I have enjoyed knitting, crochet, sewing, silversmithing, printing and photography but I have always had a kinship with clay. It is the medium where I can most easily express myself. Occasionally I like to venture into textiles, just to enjoy the immediacy of playing with the sewing machine after having to respect the processes of working with clay.

I finally decided to go full time as a maker after my hand was forced in a couple of ways. After already having two children I was overjoyed to find myself expecting again in my late thirties (with what I understand is affectionately known as an 'evening star'!). At the same time as my maternity leave was due to start my contract of working with special needs children was coming to an end. It seemed like the best time to consider self employment, so that I could fully immerse myself in enjoying motherhood again (and for the final time!) and continue to develop creatively with a more long term focus. When my daughter was a few months old a shop on my local high street came up for a very affordable rent. It was the perfect space for me to take on as a workshop and was the final push in my decision to go for it! Since then my business has developed-as well as selling directly on-line and at craft fairs, my work is represented in a number of galleries across England and I have been accepted as a member of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen. I've also been thankful that I've been able to watch my daughter grow without the stress of having to snatch precious moments.

In my etsy shop you will find whatever my most recent pleasure has been, in ceramic or textile form produced in my open studio/shop.

My influences are many and varied, but always in the back of my mind rings William Morris' words of wisdom,

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."


Etsy is a dangerous place for magpies...



Please have a look at my facebook page for further info about craft fairs, things that grab my eye or a glimpse into some works in progress:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Lucksted-ceramics/116253561820211

Jo Lucksted Ceramics,
Studio 33,
33 Town Street,
Shepton Mallet,
Somerset,
BA4 5BE,
United Kingdom