About

There is nothing I enjoy more than being in my studio creating beautiful wheel-thrown and hand-built pottery.
I am inspired by nature: earth, fire and water, the basic elements for the creation of ceramics. The flora and fauna of my native New Zealand and my UK homeland are an important influence in my work, too.  

The Chicken Run Studio sign, made in stoneware, with a quirky chicken sitting on top.

I was I awakened to pottery when I first went to Palmerston North Teachers College in New Zealand. The Pottery Department was led by the renowned New Zealand potter Stan Jenkins. Since my retirement several years ago, I have had the time to try out many of my stored-up ideas that were put on hold for 45 years!

My studio is in the back garden in The Chicken Run, where I produce an eclectic mix of wheel-thrown and hand-built work. The chooks take a keen interest in everything that is going on, eagerly wandering into the studio and reluctantly leaving as they are shooed out. They are often subjects of my pottery.

I work predominantly with stoneware clay, as it is strong and will take the heat of the oven and any weather conditions outside. I love throwing open forms, such as bowls, that allow me to experiment with glazes and produce beautiful results. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring hand-built bowls made of coils, dots and the imprint of leaves. Quirky ideas often come to me and, sometimes, I deviate from the norm, with items such as bowls with expressive lips, jugs with ‘Hand’-les or in the way I interpret animals.

I love following my imagination with hand-built work, such as garden features like wind chimes, animals balanced on stones and bird baths. My birdbaths are made with coils that allow you to see and feel the texture, and feature common garden birds on the edge. These take some time to produce, so each develops uniquely. The glaze used, along with glass, are the final touches that bring the work to life.

Cute and quirky animals often feature in my thrown and hand-built work. They come alive and pose for me as I make them, so each is unique. Hares are my favourite, and I have been commissioned to produce a hare jazz band, hiker hares with knapsacks and doctor hares with stethoscopes! Taking commissions and personalising pieces is part of the fun.

 

Contact Alison Holmans

Address

The New House
Tanners Lane
Eynsham
Witney
OX29 4HJ

Contact

Email: achholmans60@gmail.com

Phone: 01865 883165 

Mobile: 07452956559