In this Q&A with London-based ceramicist and designer Rosie Gore, we explore her hand-built approach to creating thoughtful, one-of-a-kind stoneware.
With a background in interior styling and a love for slow, intentional design, Rosie Gore shapes each piece by hand, balancing earthy textures with bright, painterly glazes. Her work embraces the beauty of imperfection, bridging the gap between rustic and modern, and bringing warmth, colour, and individuality into everyday living spaces.
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your artistic journey?
I’ve always loved designing and making things since I was a child and being very dyslexic I quickly realised that this was where my strengths lay and definitely where I feel most confident. I was always painting, sewing, and making things, but for some reason the idea of studying anything artistic at university seemed very scary and would never lead to a ‘proper’ job.
After five years of working as a primary school teacher, I handed in my notice to go travelling around Central America for a year, but then two weeks later COVID struck and we went into lockdown, needless to say we didn’t make it to Mexico that year and I had to reassess my career options!
But there was most definitely a plus side in this difficult time, as having stopped teaching It let me see that although I loved some parts of it, it had also made me incredibly stressed and anxious, so I decided to try doing what I loved full-time and focused on my creative side.
I’d always made ceramics as a side hobby but now I finally had the chance to really invest in what I most loved doing and try to make a career out of it. I tutored and freelanced as an assistant stylist on interior shoots to keep the lights whilst I developed my ceramics.
To my delight (and quite honestly amazement), for the last year and half I have been working full-time for myself and developing my practice with such an amazing community of followers. All self-taught and learning as I go, it’s been such a liberating process and I’m so grateful and thankful for where I am now.
2. What inspired you to pursue your craft? Was there a defining moment or influence that sparked your passion?
A defining moment in my career was most definitely working as an assistant stylist on interior shoots, working alongside some incredibly talented interior stylists and creative directors, watching them curate the most incredible spaces filled with beautiful pieces which blurred the lines between pieces of art and functional items for the home.
There have been so many inspirations to my work over the past two years, but two which really stick out were firstly working with the most incredible pieces of artwork from MAH Gallery whilst assisting interior stylists; helping to curate living spaces full of texture, shape, colour and pattern. This cemented my belief in the beauty and importance of hand crafted pieces, which can be both a work of art and a usable item that brings joy to people.
The second, Charleston House. Home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, Charleston was where the 20th century’s most radical artists, writers and thinkers, the Bloomsbury group, met. The house itself is truly the most inspiring of places, covered with beautiful yet often whimsical, carefree hand painted patterns on mantel pieces, walls, doors, and ceilings, it reminds me of the importance of fun when making art, while also being such an important place historically for our culture.
Your craft
3. How would you describe your work in three words?
Natural, expressive, personal
4. What materials or techniques do you use, and why are they important to your process?
My ceramics are hand built in stoneware clay, from which I work to create organically shaped pieces which are then painted and glazed by hand. The speckled, organic, earthy tones of the stoneware are designed to balance the brightly coloured glazed patterns.
Shaping each piece by hand means they are all unique in their own way, and aims to emphasise my belief in creating unique, slow, sustainable pieces for the home.
5. Can you tell us about a favourite piece you’ve created and the story behind it?
My Check Twist vases are probably my favourite piece so far and are probably the most iconic. I love check patterns but wanted to create a shaped vase where the pattern wasn’t just flat on it, but a shape that drew your attention as much as the pattern did. It took quite a lot of experimentation to come up with the final design, but I am so happy with how the final pieces look now.
Creative process
6. What does a typical day in your studio or workshop look like?
Having been a teacher where your days and even holidays are so regimented down to the minute, I now absolutely love that my time is my own. Depending on my schedule, sometimes I start work very early to start rolling out slabs upon slabs of clay, whereas other mornings I make myself a tea and sit in bed until 9am doing admin!
Depending on when I need to fire my pieces, my days are normally either a “making” day, or an order packing and admin day (although sometimes both!). Woman’s Hour is a daily must, along with many earl grey teas along the way.
7. Do you have any unique rituals or habits that help you stay creative?
To make sure I still always remain feeling energised and creative, whenever I’m making a batch to fire I always try to include a test for a new design idea.
This gives me so much excitement when the time comes to open the kiln!! For me this is really important, as sometimes finding the time to experiment and test ideas is really hard when you are really busy making orders.
8. How do you handle creative blocks? Do you have any strategies or tips for overcoming them?
For me I think taking a break is really important, I very rarely have new ideas come to me when I’m sitting down trying to think some up! They normally come when my mind is completely elsewhere and then I have to quickly jot it down or draw it. So my tip would be, go and do something else completely!
Challenges and successes
9. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a maker, and how did you overcome it?
It is quite a juggle! A great juggle, but there is lots and lots to learn on the go! Designing and making is only one part of it, so you have to be really organised and have quite a lot of initiative.
A challenge I have is planning for the year ahead, what I want to achieve and the industry deadlines for this, especially when there is so much work to do on a day-to-day basis too, so having a large yearly planner has really helped me keep on track with this.
10. What’s been your proudest moment or achievement so far?
Aside from the press coverage I’ve had without any PR agency, my proudest achievement has to be making a collection for Charleston House. Having my pieces there feels incredibly surreal!
11. What’s your favourite quote you’ve ever heard about your work? Who said it, or what was the name of the publication?
‘Your pieces are straight out of Charleston House!’
– A recent customer at a market exclaimed, which I was so delighted about!
Inspiration
12. Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? What sparks your imagination and creativity?
I draw inspiration from the living world around me, earthy colours inspired from nature which are complemented by traditional patterns such as check or gingham mixed with architectural shapes. The beauty in functional pieces really inspires me, pieces that are really beautiful and interesting but also can be used during a dinner party or displayed in a cabinet.
13. Do you have a favourite artist, maker, movement, or tradition that has influenced your craft?
It has to be the work of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. Charleston is a house full of hand painted mantels, walls and doorways each showing signs of the maker’s paint brush strokes, hand sewn lampshades with visible wobbly stitching and ceramic pendant lampshades with fingerprint idents of the makers, all completely unique, personal and freeflow. The freeness of their work within the house really inspires me. It’s fun and free from pretense.
Another is the arts and crafts movement, specifically Standen House. I’ve been visiting here for years and it is one of my favourite places for inspiration. A place which is timelessly stylish.
14. How does colour influence your practice; is it an important part of your process? Do you have a particular palette or favourites? Any go-to sources for colour inspiration?
Colour is a huge part of my practice, giving a pop to the earthy, speckled tones of the stoneware. Different seasons call for different colours, but different styles are also suited to certain colours.
I generally prefer a more earthy colour palette- greens, browns & burgundies in varying shades. However, I love experimenting with trending colour combinations and get inspiration from designers like Studio Ashby, Beata Heuman and Colours of Arley.
Perspectives and goals
15. What role does your environment play in shaping your creativity?
My environment plays a big part in helping my creativity and generally making me feel like I’m in a productive and creative mindset. I’m now in between London and St Leonards and am loving being by the sea. I definitely feel calmer and happier closer to nature.
16. What do you want people to feel when they experience your work?
Just enjoyment and to know that it’s uniquely theirs.
17. What are you currently working on, and what excites you most about it?
I’m currently working on a commission of some wavy candle sconces which I’m really excited about, can’t wait to experiment with which patterns look best for them.
Advice and reflection
18. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a maker?
To have confidence in your work but to also not be too precious about it. Not everything you design is going to be great and that’s OK. Trial and error is important, but I think as adults we are shaped into feeling like it’s a bad thing. Also some people will love something that you don’t like as much yourself!
19. If you could go back to the start of your career, what advice would you give your younger self?
To actually follow what you enjoy doing and what you feel most confident in. It’s really tricky as I think when you are young unless you have contacts within industries in subjects you are interested in, it all feels very daunting and you actually have no idea of the range of jobs there are out there. I’d tell myself to have a bit more confidence in myself.
Closing thoughts
20. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Ivon Hitchens because I love his earthy colour palette and colour block patterns.
21. Where can people find your work, and how can they support you?
My website is the best place to find all of my work! Showing support on instagram is always a great help to spread the word!
From her London studio, Rosie Gore continues to champion handmade, sustainable design through her distinctive ceramic pieces. With every curve, brushstroke, and glaze, she offers a celebration of thoughtful craft, inviting us to find beauty in the details and joy in the handmade.
Explore Rosie’s latest collection and follow her creative journey:
Support Rosie Gore by following her creative journey on Instagram and exploring her full collection on her website.
