Catherine Phelps

British artist and designer Catherine Phelps grew up in Bath but now splits her time between two homes and studios, one nestled in a lush garden in Asturias, Spain and the other in historic Salisbury where she find a constant source of inspiration in the wonderful collections of the city museum.

Living between two countries is nothing new for Catherine, who for decades split her working life between London and Madrid, as a graphic designer for both the music and wine industries, creating album covers, posters and labels often using her own distinctive illustrations.

A life long love of ceramics lead he to a wheel throwing course, after which she and 5 others set up a ceramics studio in Asturias where they share a kiln and  pool their growing knowledge of clay and glazes.

It is here that Catherine works her plate and bowls: inspired by her beautiful garden, folktales and fables. After press-moulding and finishing the plates, Catherine then allows them to dry to a 'leather hard' consistency which she then hand paints with coloured slips. 

To refine the detail she scratches into each piece with a technique called sgraffito, a perfect technique for this graphic artist that also has a love for the traditional. 

VIEW HER COLLECTIONS >