Derek Matthews

​​​

sculptural ceramics 2026

​

Derek Matthews is a Selected Member of the Craft Potters Association.

​

Although experimenting with pottery at school and at Farnham School of Art, Derek spent forty years as a highly successful commercial illustrator at an international level before turning his creative focus entirely to studio ceramics.

​

With a keen interest in the traditions of ancient cultures and inspired by folklore, tribal art, and storytelling, his unique and-built figures blend his background in illustration with imagination and a sprinkling of whimsy.

​

Each piece is handcrafted using a variety of clays- including some sourced directly from his garden. Shunning the use of glazes is work is decorated with natural oxides, each piece painstakingly wax polished after firing. This approach contributes to the alchemy that often gives his work a distressed or patinated surface.

​

“For me, working with clay is a dual exploration - one deeply rooted in the raw, elemental behaviour of the clays and oxides that I use, and the other in the rich tapestry of human history. My work draws continuous inspirations from global folklore, ancient mythology, and the sacred art of indigenous cultures far and wide. While existing lore, tempered with a modicum of whimsy sparks my inspiration, my ceramics don’t always stem from a specific plot.

​

It is my hope that each piece offers the embryonic seeds of a narrative.

​

I like the idea of my work having an underlying logic and an implied provenance: Artefacts or relics retrieved from a place that may… or may not have existed.

​

Each piece has been part of my life and by offering you the fragments of a story to complete, interpret, or develop I hope my work will pass from my hands to yours and become part of your life.”​​

​

Click the image for details and if you are interested in Derek Matthews' work please enquire below