Welcome to Oxford Clay.
I had the opportunity as a child to attend pottery classes run by ‘OXPOTS’ at East Oxford Community Centre. These classes inspired a life-long love of working with clay.
The more I learned about pottery, the more I realised that many of the ingredients I used caused harm to animals, people and the environment.
I wondered whether pottery could be made without these harmful ingredients.
So I spent years researching and testing different clay and glaze recipes, using only ingredients that were non-toxic and caused minimal environmental harm.
I created a special mix of clays from Devon, Dorset and Cornwall in the UK, and a stoneware pottery glaze made from recycled wood ash. I learned about the different ways animal products are used in pottery and excluded these from my practice.
I removed all animal-based tools and ingredients from all Oxford Clay’s products. You can read more about the sustainable approach to Oxford Clay on the ingredients webpage.
If you’d like to know more about some simple ways pottery can be made more eco-friendly, I’ve created books and video courses for Potters sharing everything I’ve learned. I can’t wait to share them with you!
Katherine Tomlinson, at Oxford Clay.