Look into the Life of a Craft Maker from the South West ...

The Devon Guild is a Membership organisation. Here Members talk about their paths as makers and artists. Other Members profiles will be added at intervals.

Name: Tim Andrews

What materials do you work with?

Porcelain, T-material, coloured slips and raku glazes.

What techniques and equipment do you use?

Raku. A technique where pots are individually fired and removed red-hot before smoking or fuming. Post-firing treatments are particular to each pot. Techniques include hand-building and throwing. (I have a wheel and five different kilns – though two are used more than the others).
 

Can you recall how or why you became a maker?

Tim started making ceramic pieces at school. His Head-of-Art was an incipient potter and Tim was the first student in the school to take an A level in ceramics (his other subjects were sciences).
 

Did you have an inspirational teacher?
Yes, two. The school Head-of-Art and then David Leach. David employed Tim as he left school. The discipline of the workshop and the one-to-one teaching from David meant that Tim learned a lot very quickly.

What are the benefits of being a maker?
You are your own master – but only up to a point. It suits people who are happy working on their own. When everything connects – skill, application and serendipity – something very exciting happens.

What are the disadvantages?
The struggle to earn a living. To an extent, society judges a person by how much they earn. If the work doesn’t sell, it’s discouraging.

Who/what inspires you?
In ceramics, a maker’s attitude can be as inspiring as their work.
I am inspired by some buildings, theatre and the natural world. Particularly form.