Edmund Davies

Edmund Davies is a potter who works on the wheel. Permanent Collection, who stock wheel-thrown stoneware candleholders by Edmund Davies, describe the potter as London-based, and the Checkerboard Mug we sell is hand-thrown in Norfolk.

Asked about inspiration, Edmund Davies has said it lies mainly in the making itself: trying to reach a state of flow at the wheel so that new forms can appear. Looking at historical pots and vessels in museums and galleries is another, and Romano-British glass is a recent obsession. The potter also describes being a chronic beachcomber, with a particular liking for stones with holes in them. A current project is a new body of work in part-reduction fired terracotta, aiming for the classic orange with flashes of almost singed metallic grey, inspired by the smoke-fired terracotta of Oaxaca and by salt glazed pots.

The Checkerboard Mug reflects the potter's interest in Modernist forms. It has a low handle and a checkerboard pattern made with a wax resist technique, under a glossy glaze. It is stoneware, about 8.5cm tall and wide, and is best washed by hand. Being handmade, each one varies naturally in shape and pattern.