About the Maker

From my hands to yours

I'm Amanda - Maker, Kiln loader, Order Packer, Website builder, Photographer

I live in the beautiful Forest of Dean UK 🌿

Hand building for me is my hands and a rolling pin. I use various rolling pins Textured hand rollers, a wooden rolling pin from the kitchen and a larger table top slab roller, that makes larger sheets.

I love the slow considered way of making things with just my hands and a few simple tools. My pieces are tactile honest and organic you can see the marks my hands have made, I don't try to make things too straight as I don't want it to look mass produced or machine made the imperfections are the beauty of handmade.

I'm very keen on doing all I can to help the environment, I love this planet we all live on. Every scrap of clay is recycled. I love walking , feeding the hedgehogs and the birds in my garden so I can enjoy watching them.

My pottery started as a place to relax and switch off the every day stress. Living in a busy town, I could only have a 8x6 foot shed on my patio, I would go outside in the evening with an extension lead for electric and a bucket of water.

At the start I was just learning what and how I could make things, I discovered little soap dishes where a good way to learn and I could go back to using soap bars in my home. Putting plastic in the bin was a pet hate of mine, I always felt guilty of littering the planet with liquid soap dispenses.

As I got better I started selling soap dishes on Etsy. Until I outgrew my little shed and we decided to move closer to nature in the Forest of Dean.

So here I am, in a bigger pottery with electric supply. No water yet, so I'm still carrying a bucket. Eventually I will have a rainwater harvesting system for my water.

Why the name Dawson Pottery

My first website was called madebymanda4u.co.uk I originally thought I might also sell sewing so I didn't include pottery in the title, five years on and I thought It was time to change to a more specific name dawsonpottery.uk was to be my new home.

Why Dawson you ask, well that is my maiden name. My Dad was so proud that I had started a pottery and I wanted to do something in his name after he passed in 2021.