Robert Goldsmith

Robert established the Selborne Pottery in 1985 after attaining a BA Hons in ceramics at West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham.

All the work is hand thrown and turned stoneware.  No machines or moulds are used and the traditional techniques have taken many years to perfect.  The pottery does not try to mimic the past but draws on skills rarely practiced today.  Combined with high temperature stoneware glazes, fine brushwork, wax resist and glaze trailing, the finished pots with rich copper red and cobalt blue glazes are both functional and decorative whilst still having a contemporary look. On the Specials range, gold lustre is hand decorated on to the stoneware pot and then fired again adding a luxurious opulence not normally found on studio pottery.  The glazes and pigments are made up from raw materials in the pottery and are fired in a gas kiln to over 1300 Celsius.  This fuses both clay and glaze together in an impenetrable bond, giving the pottery both its brightness and its depth of colour.  Although decorative, the pots have been designed to be used and are oven and dishwasher safe.

The pottery is situated in the historic Hampshire village of Selborne where visitors are welcome to watch pots being thrown and decorated and make purchases from the extensive showroom.  Commissions are also welcome including wedding and christening gifts.  Selborne Pottery is stocked and widely exhibited throughout the UK at Crafts Council listed galleries.  The pottery is also sold in New York and in galleries along the west coast of America.  In 1999 the pottery received recognition for its gold lustre range as a winner in the prestigious Gift of the Year Award.  Selborne Pottery is also sold through some select craft fairs and was recently exhibited at The Affordable Art Fair 2000 Battersea.

In January 2001 Robert Goldsmith was commissioned to produce nine white stoneware bowls with platinum and gold calligraphy as awards for London First Millennium Awards. Recipients included British Airways, Metropolitan Police, Croydon Tramlink, Tate Modern and a personal bowl to Joanna Lumley for presenting the awards.