Handmade, Hand Glazed, Hand Crafted.

What does being a potter mean to me?

After 35 years, since doing A ‘level Art & Design my Son and Daughter in law bought for me a wonderful Christmas present “A pottery course”. I didn’t realise that creativity would become such an important part of my life and I realise now that as a creative person I should have never stopped doing some form of art.

When throwing a piece of pottery on the wheel the fact you can immerse yourself into that piece and not think about anything else meant that as a successful business woman, I had found that space, that moment in time where I could catch my breath. The moment when I could say I had dedicated 100% of me to make something special, a one off, a new adventure.

The fact that creativity does not end there, the many stages of handmade pottery means there are so many factors that can throw a curve ball at you and every stage means you have to think, adapt, and change.

This new vocation, this new obsession, the excitement of hand painting layers of glaze on a Bisque fired pot to then place it back in the kiln for another 30 hours, waiting and hoping that it will look exceptional, something different, and something new. No two pieces the same. Everything individual.

Finally, the feel of the pot, to touch and rub the beautiful texture, the glaze. My emotion when I understand the journey the pot has travelled, the 8 stages to get it to the very end. Will it come out of the kiln, in one piece, will the glaze be what I would have wished for.

The time, the hours that it takes to achieve just one piece of joy, the joy of my work, and the joy of sharing it with others.

What does it mean to me?

Maybe a mug for your morning coffee, a mug that makes you smile, you look at it and you appreciate it, you get comfort from it, its familiar to you, it’s your favourite mug.

When someone asks for me to make them something special, maybe a commission piece to America. The reaction they have, they love it so much that they decide to become collectors.

The way that makes me feel is nothing more than happiness.

This I want to share.

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About Lois.

Lois Hook was born and raised in Northampton, England. She lives with her husband of over 30 years, in the lovely village of Harpole.

Over this time, she has been actively involved in the running of the family business’s Diane’s Grooming Centre, Northampton Reptile Centre, Northampton Reptile and Fish Centre and their online reptile business www.reptilecentre.com.

She has one Son who is married and she can proudly say he with his wife, are the future of everything Lois and her husband have achieved today. She prides herself on her relationships with each and every member of her team, as team means everything.

As a woman who was leading the way, she suddenly hit that brick wall that every woman will hit and found that the basic of tasks became difficult and sometimes impossible. Memory and the use of basic thought function was missing and she knew she had to find something that would could calm her and help restore the confidence she needed to get through this difficult time.

Then she found pottery, creativity and it was life changing.

Doing a beginner’s course in February 2018 at Swanspool Pottery in Castle Ashby, Northampton. She then continued to do back to back courses which taught her different wheel throwing, trimming, glazing, and firing techniques. Spending many hours at the pottery using the open access that was available to her with each course. Watching YouTube tutorials to learn and study her form.

That meant her skills would keep growing and with her imagination she would try new techniques and get many different results.

After a year it was time to set up her own pottery, investing in a purpose-built cabin at her family home. She now spends hours in there creating pottery but still spends time with family.

During this time, she has found that she has what seems to be a different perspective to many other potters and keeps pushing the boundaries of glaze techniques, layering a piece of clay with as many as 7 or 8 coats of hand painted glaze, to then fire it hoping for a wonderful finished piece of art. She loves the unknown and the joy of opening a kiln to see what is inside.

She has her own YouTube channel “Lois Hook Pottery “where she is happy to share her findings with others. 

She is very excited about creating special bespoke pieces and welcomes anyone coming to her to discuss any personal requirements.