Dan Kelly Studio Pottery Ceramic Utilitarian Plate, Colin Pearson

Dan Kelly Studio Pottery Ceramic Utilitarian Plate, Colin Pearson Dan Kelly originally studied ceramics at Camberwell School of Art where Colin Pearson was an initial influence, encouraging him to develop his energetic throwing technique at a time when throwing was becoming marginalised. Dan is also grateful to Ewen Henderson for opening his mind to the endless possibilities that small changes can produce when making pots. After Camberwell he went on to the Royal College of Art from where he graduated in 1979. For most of the next decade Dan continued potting and holding various technician posts until he spent a year at Christ's Hospital in Sussex as "artist in residence" in 1988. From that point onwards teaching took up more of his time and exhibitions have tended to take a back seat.

However he has had three previous solo shows at the Harlequin Gallery and other exhibitions have included Austin/Desmond Fine Art in London during 2002. Decoration of Dan's pots is deliberately kept to a minimum with dark metallic oxides being the usual finish to his stoneware vessels. The outer surface of his white porcelain pieces are usually left virtually untouched so that the throwing lines, furrows, indentations and raw edges are somehow emphasised, contrasting with their dark glazed interiors.