Jonathan Chiswell Jones first touched clay aged 6 in Calcutta, and was enthused by reading A Potters Book at prep school.He took a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, then trained briefly at Farnham Art School in 1972. He worked for Joe Finch the following year. He set up in Sussex where together with Kerry Bosworth he makes porcelain domestic ware and reduction fired lustreware.

He has recently taken on an apprentice, Pasha Manzaroli, who is partly funded by the charity Adopt A Potter. He has always believed that making pots should be a joint activity- a teachable skill rather than something pursued by a solitary artist.

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“Simplicity is one of the hardest effects to produce in clay: I use simple glazes, simple methods of making and what appears to be a simple way of firing them – wood firing. I find this way of work both exciting and humbling.”
Mark Griffiths

After leaving school Mark worked for three very different potters for two years before setting up his first workshop in 1975, with the help of a New Craftsman Grant awarded by the Crafts Advisory Committee. This enabled him to build his first kiln, buy some equipment and began what has become a long relationship with clay.

Mark has been making pots in Culmington, Shropshire since 1983.

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Gas is a native of Japan residing in England. He found that after moving to England, he became somewhat homesick for Japan, but that he could find solace in ancient wood fired Japanese pottery.

Gas’ quest for a touch of his home country led him to acquire broad knowledge about medieval Japanese wood fired ceramics. Wanting to understand the pottery he loves on its innermost levels, Gas delved far beyond simply studying pieces and identifying techniques — he began building his own wood fired kilns and making pottery to fire in them. Gas’ expertise has been of use to collectors and museums, as well as to himself in his work as an art dealer.

Gas is a prolific kiln builder. In the last dozen years, he has built thirteen kilns — six of which have been anagamas. He prefers to build his kilns following traditional yet simple designs — for example, his kilns have no ash pits or complicated damper systems. His designs were influenced by his visits to archeological kiln sites in Japan as well as his discussions with Japanese potters practicing the ancient wood fired arts in our modern times.