3. How would you describe your work in three words?

Unique, playful, small-batch

4. What materials or techniques do you use, and why are they important to your process?

I throw on the wheel and Hand build using Staffordshire white stoneware. Decorating in coloured slips and simple glazes, sometimes finishing my pieces with a cobalt oxide hand painted design.

I enjoy hand finishing my pieces, often not planning out my design prior to painting. I love that each piece is completely unique.

5. Can you tell us about a favourite piece you’ve created and the story behind it?

I really enjoy working on a larger scale and a huge round platter I made recently is a current favourite. I am also very fond of my Isolation face collection, fun and playful in bright colours that spark joy.

6. What does a typical day in your studio or workshop look like?

I start my day in the studio with a nice coffee from the cafe next door. I write a to do list on the board and get my clay prepared for the day. Weighing out and wedging clay ready to be thrown or rolling out clay if I am planning to hand build.

I save all my admin work for home as I have to fully focus whilst making otherwise things go wrong. I listen to Guy Garvey or a good podcast and get into the zone, making away until it is dark or I’m hungry!

7. Do you have any unique rituals or habits that help you stay creative?

I love to look through old magazines and as much as I love going to exhibitions I don’t do it nearly as much as I should. Instagram and pinterest are great starting points for a creative boost but I often go down rabbit holes started off by pinterest ending somewhere really interesting.

8. How do you handle creative blocks? Do you have any strategies or tips for overcoming them?

I try to allow myself to step away if I am feeling blocked. Take time out to read, travel, talk to friends and go to the seaside. This always revives me.

9. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a maker, and how did you overcome it?

I think my biggest challenge came from my biggest success. I received my first wholesale order from Liberty for over 600 pieces and they needed to be delivered within 4 months. Everything was handmade and painted. Two kilns failed in the process meaning I lost around 60 plates and caused a big repair bill for the kiln.

10. What’s been your proudest moment or achievement so far?

Getting my first wholesale order from Liberty for a debut collection of limited Isolation face plates that sold out.

11. What’s your favourite quote you’ve ever heard about your work? Who said it, or what was the name of the publication?

12. Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? What sparks your imagination and creativity?

All around me I would say, I love the sea living near the Kent coast and I love to travel. I have been visiting Sicily for 23 years and I find the heritage for artisanal pottery very inspiring. I love to visit different villages to see how their style and use of colour varies. I collect pieces that I bring home and refer back to.

13. Do you have a favourite artist, maker, movement, or tradition that has influenced your craft?

As well as Sicilian artisan pottery I am very intrigued by artist movements and groups. I am drawn to the colours and geometry of The Bauhaus movement and the freedom and expression Charleston/ The Bloomsbury group.

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?

I am so inspired by colour and very drawn to unusual colour combinations. I dress predominantly in black or blue but love to explore colour within my work and find it makes my pieces joyful. I love a sludgy olive green with a lemon yellow and a soft pink. I find the book ‘ A Dictionary of Color Combinations’ a great source. I would say my palette is unique and inspired by holidays and the seaside. Stripes have always been in my life and I was called stripey Kate at university. I love to use bright but soft colours in my Duci stripes, trying to toe a line between playful and sophisticated.

15. What role does your environment play in shaping your creativity?

I live in the Kent countryside and not far from the sea so the environment around me really plays a big part in my creativity. I am inspired by the colours of the land and space around my home and studio. I find a walk along the sea shore or even my drive through the high bush lined country lanes to the studio really give me the space to think and to create.

16. What do you want people to feel when they experience your work?

I hope that my pieces spark joy and that they add interest to peoples homes. Making you smile in your day to day moments.

17. What are you currently working on, and what excites you most about it?

I am very pleased to be working on a new collection for The Courtard Museum gallery and a collection of Fish for the National Gallery. I am also working on developing my workshops and possibly doing my first retreat this year.

18. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a maker?

Always make pieces that you love and that you enjoy making.

19. If you could go back to the start of your career, what advice would you give your younger self?

I have had a really varied career and I have thoroughly enjoyed my work, generally working with really nice people who are great at what they do. I think that the only advice I would give is do what you love and start making/ working with clay a lot sooner, as I have found it so cathartic and is probably the calm I needed when I was younger.

20. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would love to have worked in the pottery at Charleston with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, or have been part of the Bauhaus. I would also have loved to have collaborated with Barbara Hepworth or Picasso. But in terms of today I would love to work with artist Rosie Harbottle, I am taking a painting course with Rosie in April and I can’t wait to explore paint and oil pastels with her. I love her style and hope to start to produce work on paper as well as in clay.

21. Where can people find your work, and how can they support you?

I have a website where you can shop directly with me – kscreativepottery.com

Or my work is available in a The Courtard museum shop and handful of small local boutiques:

The Courtard Museum – Somerset house London

Lamp London Home – Peckham Rye

Aime – Ledbury rd London

Rae Lifestyle – Rye

Kate Sellers’ ceramic designs are vibrant  and uplifting, intended to bring joy to everyday moments. Influenced by the seaside landscapes of Kent and artisanal traditions of Sicily, her pottery adds warmth, character, and a touch of playful elegance to any home.

Explore Kate’s latest collections and follow her creative journey:

Support Kate by visiting her online shop, experiencing her creations at select boutiques, and following along as she continues to bring joyful pottery into the world.