Our Tutors
Helen Rondell
Helen graduated from Staffordshire University in 1995 with a BA (Hons) in Ceramics and is now a Selected Member of the Craft Potters Association (CPA). She sells her work through outlets all over the UK as well as at ceramic, craft and trade fairs.
Helen specialises in Raku firing and her work is held in private collections in the USA, Canada, China and across Europe.
Liz O’Dwyer
Liz graduated from Kent Institute of Art and Design with a BA (hons) Fine Art specialising in Sculpture. Since graduating she has taught in many settings and has developed her own practice in ceramics. Liz has always loved working with clay. From an early age she attended pottery classes in the village she grew up in and has gone on to build her own studio at the bottom of her garden. She now exhibits and sells her work in galleries around the UK and at craft fairs.
She predominantly works in porcelain as she loves the way the purity of the clay enhances the form of the pieces created. The porcelain also provides a blank canvas to produce her drawings.
Kate Merriman
Kate graduated from Ravensbourne College of Design with a degree in Furniture and Product Design in 2000. She discovered her passion for throwing minimalist functional products while on a local pottery adult education course. After completing various courses, she went on to start her own ceramics business, supplying her ever evolving collections of one-off and small batch stoneware pieces to individuals, design markets and retailers.
She is inspired by the clean lines and purity of forms found in traditional Japanese design as well as her natural surrounding coastline.
Africa Lopez
Africa has always been surrounded by a strong ceramic culture in her native Spain. A passion for exploring different cultures led her to travel and brought her to England. After taking an adult education pottery course as a creative alternative to her work in education, she just could not stop!
Africa completed her formal studies in pottery at Escuela de Arte Francisco Alcantara in Madrid then continued her adventure by working at festivals and with various Master Potters.
She is currently going back to her origins by developing her work in blue and white, as well as exploring the concept of pottery and garden.
Stathis Dimitriadis
Stathis was born in Greece where he studied Chemical Engineering. He fell in love with clay after a single pottery lesson and embarked on a three-year apprenticeship with Mihalis Sklavainas in Athens. After moving to London he set up a studio in Wimbledon and completed an MA in Fine Arts at Sir John Cass Faculty of Arts.
He was a finalist at the Broomhill National Sculpture Prize and the RBS FIRST@108 Public Art Award 2015 and exhibited across the world. He is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors.
Stathis’ work lives in the area between handcrafted materiality and conceptual imagery.
Peter Black
Peter is a graduate of Clay College Stoke and has his own studio in the Weald of Kent. He makes salt glazed pots in porcelain and stoneware, including functional as well as one-off pieces.
Peter’s work is mainly thrown and finished on the potter’s wheel, sometimes later altered and assembled. Peter strives to make each piece an individual, including when part of a series, such as mugs, bowls or cups.
Peter’s making came later, but he has been influenced by the pieces he bought, studied and have loved over the years.
Ellie Mclaughlin
(Children’s Tutor & Technician)
Ellie was born in Manchester and went on to earn a degree in English Literature. After her love for reading and writing, she was intrigued to embark on a new story-telling medium through the use of clay and decoration. Her functional stoneware pieces are usually decorated with a minimalist design that often represents a wider contextual meaning.
Ellie is currently gaining inspiration from the small trinkets she collects from her hometown, her travels, and from the farm where she lives in Kent.
Ellie, alongside Emma, helps to run the day-to-day handling of all social media channels including Facebook and Instagram, adapting content to suit different channels.
Our technicians
Charlie Godfrey
Charlie completed an Art Foundation course at Loughborough college and graduated from Kent Institute of Art and Design with an HND in Precious Metals. She spent the next seven years working for a celebrity jeweller in London.
In 2003 Charlie and her husband opened a bespoke jewellers in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Having been front of house for almost 20yrs and missing 'doing something with her hands' she started pottery classes at The Ceramic Studio.
Zoë scutts
After graduating with a first class honors degree in graphic design from the London College of Printing (now LCC) Zoë built a thriving career in graphics and television design in London.
Her pottery journey then began as a release from the keyboard. 10 years on Zoe’s passion for ceramics is still burning strong.
Now armed with a competent knowledge of hand building and throwing it has placed her at the Ceramic Studio as a glazing technician and studio photographer.
Caroline Logan
(Technician & In-House Cook)
Caroline studied Graphic Design at Kingston University and worked as a Design Director in global branding agencies for over 11 years. When time allowed, she went to an evening pottery class which began her love of ceramics.
After moving back to Kent, Caroline joined The Ceramic Studio as a student in 2017. Since then she has grown her skills and knowledge as one of our technicians, supporting tutors and students while keeping the studio in tip top shape.
Caroline is also famous for her incredible cooking and designs and delivers all the menus for all our Guest Potter workshops and Experience Days.
trish Dalton
Trish has a business background but discovered pottery at a local studio and found that it was the perfect medium for her keen interest in making. She loves being part of the team at The Ceramic Studio and continues to be inspired by the tutors and students, especially in various methods of decorating.
She also works at Leonard Cheshire Home for disabled adults running a weekly pottery session. It’s a convivial and creative atmosphere where everyone can participate and focuses on hand building.
Lenka Kalafutova
Lenka Kalafutova completed an MA in Fine Art in London focusing on printmaking and ceramics in 2013. Following this she joined various different ceramics studios in London where she developed her work and ran classes.
Lenka produces screenprinted functional ceramics under the name Gatopollo Ceramics but her passion lies in more conceptual projects where she can experiment with porcelain and mixed media.
Lenka joined The Ceramic Studio as a technician in March 2023 and has since become one of our regular tutors.
Catherine black
Catherine’s love of creativity lead her to study an art foundation in Leeds followed by a degree in Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art.
After leaving London in 2016 following on from a career working in textiles and interiors she travelled to India and South America, studying and teaching yoga as well as other holistic and creative practises. Since being back in the UK she is furthering her studies with an MA equivalent in Transpersonal Arts in Therapy. Catherine feels that through this she can combine her love of the body and creativity, offering holistic therapeutic practises that support others in a way to allow an artful journey into one’s own interior.
Catherine loves working with clay, creating figurative sculptures and hand built pieces and loves that TCS offers people a place and space to connect to and learn from this medium.
Anna Da silva
Growing up near St Ives in Cornwall, Anna had the good fortune of being immersed in beautiful ceramics and art. She followed a career in Intensive Care Nursing and it wasn’t until she took pottery lessons in 2010 that she discovered her love for throwing.
In 2017, she decided to become a full time potter, creating functional pieces that can be utilised in the home. She recently joined our team of technicians and particularly enjoys helping Africa with the throwing for beginners group.
sharon hunt
Sharon has a degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare but is now a studio technician, continuing to learn and develop at The Ceramic Studio.
After many years as a PA in the oil industry, Sharon needed a way to unwind after long days at the computer and finally discovered a love of clay nine years ago at The Ceramic Studio.
Sharon coils with clay and is inspired by all the different shapes and colours in the natural world. Sharon also paints and has tried stained glass too but it is clay that has captured her imagination.
our handyman
Steven Lillywhite
Following on from a training at RADA, Steven worked initially in Stage management and then specialised as a theatre Sound Engineer both nationally and in the West End. This included the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Autograph Sound Recording and the opening of the O2 for the BBC on Millennium night.
In 1997 Steven went to the Surrey Institute of Art where he studied Animation. He then worked on a number of projects which included the live action film sequences for a production at the Almeida Theatre, and the animation for a short film called ‘Vacuum’ that was screened at the BFI cinema Southbank as part of the London Film Festival.
After moving to Kent in 2001, Steven retrained as a Carpenter, specialising in the restoration of listed buildings and bespoke interior work.
In 2021 he joined the Ceramic Studio and has loved working there ever since.
behind the scenes
sam coles
(Marketing Manager)
Sam started her career in publishing in 2004. She worked as Head Publisher for publishing house, Russell Publishing (based in Kent) for over 10 years and then decided to move to London to pursue a career in marketing. For a number of years she worked for an investment magazine, helping to increase their circulation and create new digital publications.
In 2016, after having her two boys, she came back to her home town of Tunbridge Wells and worked for marketing agency, Rodgers & Rodgers as an Account Manager.
She now enjoys all things marketing at the Ceramic Studio, helping to come up with new ideas and, more importantly, helping to spread the word and get more people to come and try pottery at our wonderful studio.
Sarah Heath
(Guest Potter Programme Manager & Technician)
Sarah graduated from Kent Institute of Art and Design with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, specialising in Painting and Printmaking. Following her degree, she embarked on a career in higher education supporting art students with special needs.
Her love of working with young people developed through a number of HE roles and eventually took her into Widening Participation at Queen Mary University of London. Here she set up and ran the Pathways to Law programme focussing on social mobility.
After moving to Kent and starting pottery classes at The Ceramic studio in 2019, her love of working in the creative arts was reignited and she joined the Studio in 2022. Sarah works as both a Studio Technician and in the office as the Guest Potter Programme Manager where she manages all Guest Potter Workshops as well as handling student communication.
rebecca Milnes
(Finance Manager)
Rebecca grew up in Derbyshire and moved to Kent after graduating from the University of Bath with a BA (Hons) degree in Modern Languages and European Studies. She then spent the next 25 years working as an accountant in many different industries, including timber importing, early years education and dating!
As Finance Manager at the studio, Rebecca enjoys helping the business to find ways to succeed and grow. Now her children are teenagers, Rebecca is also relishing the opportunity to do something creative with her spare time and is finding pottery the perfect way to switch off and relax.
