Goodbye @mudfest_
What can I say....it was a great weekend and I'm already having the come down blues and I've not left the park yet đź«Ł
Thank you to @designsbykathrynstevens for a lovely event again. Busy, well run and fun.
Thank you @fwootpotceramics for being a delightfully nutty sister (in our weirdness) and a great stall neighbour. I loved getting to know you better.
Thank you @sarahoodfineart for being kind and helpful and lending me your boy and for mystery gifts and magnets.
Thank you @purplebugpottery for being kind and generous and making me laugh loads and feeding me and setting the world to rights with me.
I'm going to be a little sad for a wee while as I am going to miss spending time with these people, but I am going home inspired, with more little friends to join the crew and later in the year I hope to catch up with you all.....
@joseph_morgan_ceramics@lindanewmanceramics@ashmoonpots@helenrossetticeramics@deborah_land_ceramics@lc_ceramics_
Well what a lovely sunny day to round off a weekend of mud! Thank you for visiting this year. Really appreciate people taking the time to pop in.
“I spent a lovely hour or so in the tent talking to many of the artists and potters it was great to see so many creators at a local venue. Something for everyone.”
“It was a fantastic event and lovely to meet so many talented creative potters.”
“Really enjoyed it today”
That’s a wrap folks!
“Day one we had a blast! Amazing ceramic artists inspired our young people, and our young leaders led a fantastic hand building workshop! Same time tomorrow?” @inspireyouthzone
MUDFest
Everything is set for an incredible weekend - all that’s left is you.
Grab your friends, bring your creativity and enjoy a proper day out, we have free entry, no prior booking, no tickets needed. Purchase that special piece from one of our talented 65 potters and come have a go yourself!
Specifically curated to showcase high quality contemporary ceramics, 65 talented potters and ceramicists from all over the British Isles are ready to share their passion for mark making, process and materials - a true celebration of all things clay.
Thank you to our sponsors : @potclays and @northernpottersassociation
We open at 10am on Saturday…..are you ready!
@ihavethisthingwithceramics
Kathryn Stevens
​Kathryn makes sculptural forms influenced by technical drawings known as lofting plans used in the ship and boat building industries, creating a theme of work inspired by Cumbria’s natural and industrial landscape.
Connecting with the viewer to tell a personal story of belonging, surface treatments are applied layered upon another to provide meaning of sense of place, which entwine the rich history of her birthplace with her family heritage and attachment. The location of a once thriving steel shipbuilding industry now stands a graveyard of forgotten rotting wooden boats provides interesting textures to inspire her work.
Formulating her own clay body and glaze recipes using local raw materials and industrial waste, evidences the area’s geological formation, helping to cement her work in the field of narrative ceramics.
#mudfest2026
Deborah Robinson
Deborah Robinson I have been sculpting in clay for over 30 years but retiring from engineering design several years ago allowed me to fuse my 3D technical ability with a love of clay to develop my technique. I work in stoneware and porcelain, sculpting human characters inspired by local history and rural life from Morecambe Bay and the Lake District. My most recent work has been inspired by archive footage of the Morecambe Bay ladies Swimming challenge from the 1920s. I also create animal forms, including pet commissions and native wildlife. Each piece is entirely hand built and finished using velvet underglaze, gloss glaze and oxides. I aim to sculpt with sensitivity and empathy for my subject, inviting the viewer to relate and reflect on the character, personality and spirit of each piece. I am also a member of Cumbria Sculptors, Northern Potters and Craft Potters Association
Philippa Whiteside
As seen on the BBC 1 series of Make it at Market, broadcasted March 2025 and available on iPlayer catchup- Series 3, Episode 4. A Lancashire based ceramic maker, Pip pushes porcelains capabilities employing both the fragility and strength of the material. Colour has always played a key role, mixing pigments into a porcelain body and achieving a kaleidoscope of joy. She sees a link between the creative process and emotional wellbeing; being creative is her therapy, her escape. Pip has a BA Hons in Glass and Ceramics (2007-10), a PGCE in Art and Special Educational Needs (2016-17) and an Advanced Certificate in Counselling, (2019-21). Clay has taken Pip to America three times for artist residencies and exhibitions; she has taught ceramics in schools and colleges and used it as a wellbeing tool in the healthcare sector, both for inpatient and outpatient care. After a career helping others, Pip has come full circle, returning to Lancashire and to clay as a practicing artist. We can do brave things.
#mudfest2026
We are Movers & Shapers Pottery Tools, a Yorkshire-based small business creating innovative, functional, and beautifully designed tools for potters. Each piece is developed, tested, and refined by hand in our own studio to enhance the making process — from precision shaping and texturing to forming handles and decorative details. Our tools are 3D-printed using durable, high-quality, plant based materials and finished with care to provide comfort, control, and consistency for potters of all levels. Alongside our tool range, we will be exhibiting a curated collection of ceramics, made using our own Movers & Shapers tools. These pieces demonstrate the creative potential of our designs in use, showing how texture, form, and character can be brought to life through the tools we create. At Mudfest 2026, we hope to showcase both sides of our practice — toolmaking and making, offering visitors the chance to see, handle, and purchase our tools while also experiencing how they can be used in finished ceramic work. ​
#mudfest2026
Roslin Pottery
I’ve always made things: fine art, science festivals and now pottery. Making things is my attempt to reconstitute the world, to heal, repair, to share power and to share beauty. I’m inspired by all the good things around me: I am surrounded by nature and beauty, but also love, community and people carrying themselves with compassion through hard times. Each piece is a labour of craftsmanship and love, and each is slightly different to any other piece. I make mugs, bowls, plates, candle sticks, decorative tiles, sea urchins and sometimes tapirs. My work is stoneware.
#mudfest2026
Lorna Ellen
By Lorna Ellen is a collection of handmade, one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces inspired by the textures, colours, and natural forms of Britain’s trees. My journey with ceramics began after attending a series of throwing and handbuilding courses and from then on I was hooked. That little taste grew into a full blown passion, leading to a two year artist residency where I had the time to refine my skills, explore new techniques, and find my creative voice. By Lorna Ellen is also a way for me to bring together two of my biggest passions - ceramics and the environment. With a masters in climate change, I’m continually exploring how to make my practice more sustainable, from reusing packaging to experimenting with lower impact materials and firing methods. All with the goal of creating work that’s not only inspired by nature, but also kinder to it. Each piece is slowly made in Nottinghamshire, UK, with the intention of celebrating the beauty of the natural world and bringing a little of the forest indoors.
#mudfest2026
