Doug Fitch Bird Money Box Ochre DFNO3

Doug Fitch

With work which is often bold in scale or decoration, Doug Fitch’s passion for slipware is evident. So too, the influence upon him of the medieval English potters and subsequent tradition of slip decorated country pottery that was prevalent in England and Wales until the early twentieth century.

Doug uses red earthenware clay to make his predominantly hand-thrown, or mould pressed pieces, occasionally using moulds or a kick-wheel rescued from Michael Cardew’s Wenford Bridge Pottery. The pots then have an appliqué or sgrafitto decoration applied drawing on a basic palette of traditional slips made from natural raw materials. They are then fired using an electric or wood-fired kiln.

“I’ve been making pots for most of my life. It’s a strange thing, to be excited by something as simple as a brown clay jug and I can’t explain it, but it seems that it happens to some people; it just gets under your skin.” Doug Fitch

Doug Fitch is based in Galloway, Scotland where he shares a studio with wife and fellow potter, Hannah McAndrew. Doug’s work can be found in public and private collections in the UK and Korea.

Portrait image by Kim Ayres