Ruth Busbridge - Potter

Ruth is an acupuncturist and part time potter. She makes usable, everyday pots on a wheel, sometimes altering them while leather hard before firing.   She strives to make pots that fulfil their daily function with pleasing ergonomics; they should pour well, stack in draining racks and dishwashers, be comfortable and balanced, and feel good in the hand and mouth when in use.

I was drawn to clay as a child; the attraction feels primordial.  It wasn’t until I was at university in Birmingham that I was able to indulge the urge, when I hit gold with the Midlands Arts Centre.  I attended classes there for several years, distracting myself from Astrophysics with pottery.  I was hooked.  Since then, I’ve potted whenever and wherever it was possible; with a decade of living abroad it often wasn’t!  A few years of weekly classes at a studio in Sydney rekindled my passion. 

When I finally settled in Ledbury, I discovered the wonderful Wobage Farm Craft Studios.  For about ten years, I attended evening classes and summer schools there with Jeremy Steward and Patia Davies – both very inspiring teachers.  When CUP Ceramics open access studio opened in Hereford, I grabbed the opportunity to dive in deeper.  Pottery is my happy place where I relax and recharge. 

I’m constantly trying to find ways of developing interest and depth in an electric kiln firing.  The exciting process of wood and salt firing at Wobage produces unpredictable, sometimes magical, results.  By comparison, electric firing risks being bland and flat, so interest must be created by decorating with texture, and applying layers of slips and multiple glazes. However, electric firing allows for more control and brighter colours and, if using renewable energy, a lower carbon footprint. 

I’m currently exploring the new expanding universe of mixing my own glazes – so many variables, so much to learn.

 https://www.instagram.com/RutuPots/

Rutupots@gmail.com