Karen Edwards

I’ve always been interested in plants, the countryside and making things in 3D. Clay is the perfect means of expressing and combining these threads, recording intricate surface detail while also allowing me to create strong, bold forms.

A professional potter since 2005, I have developed my own language of surface textures and loosely organic shapes, aiming to create work that will give year-round visual focus and enjoyment. All pieces are one-off originals and I am happy to discuss commission or personalisation ideas. I fire in an electric kiln to 1280C. Most decoration is with oxide washes, clay slips and underglazes, with minimal use of glaze as I like to see the character of the clay and the marks I’ve made. I’ve recently started making composite forms, or Stacks, which allow me to make taller sculptures while keeping the weight of each individual section down, an important consideration with a top-loading kiln. 

I have taken part in major ceramic festivals such as Art in Clay and Potfest in the Pens, but now prefer to show my work in various sculpture exhibitions or at my studio, where I have a small retail area. After 14 years at Barley Wood Walled Garden Studios, Wrington, BS40, I moved in May 2025 to a new studio at Middlecombe Nursery, Wrington Road, Congresbury, North Somerset BS49 5AN. Middlecombe is a long-established, family-run garden centre where I now feel very at home as part of a new community of makers and artists.

Member of Westcountry Potters Association and Cotswold Sculptors Association.