About

training

After a degree in Anthropology at University College, London, Josie went to Leicester University where she trained to be a secondary school teacher. Josie taught for four years in schools in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, before she began working with clay. What started out as evening class diversion became a real passion and in 1976 she enrolled on the Studio Ceramics course at Chesterfield College of Art. After three years of throwing, building kilns, visiting potters and generally being immersed in pottery, Josie opened a workshop in Matlock with a fellow student at Chesterfield, John Gibson.

Josie soon realised that she needed further experience in production throwing and running a business, so spotting an advert in Ceramic Review magazine, she applied for a job working for Suzie and Nigel Atkins at the Poterie du Don in the Auvergne, France. Josie worked at Le Don as an apprentice for 6 months in 1980 making salt glazed domestic ware, then returned to the workshop in Matlock where she made once fired decorated earthenware pottery.

When the lease ran out on the Matlock workshop, John and his wife Judy moved with their son John Morgan to the island of Bornholm in Denmark, while Josie relocated to a workshop three miles up the road in Cromford, where she made pots for the next 10 years. Now Josie is happily installed in a workshop that she had built in the garden at home.

In 1996 Josie went back to college part time to study for an MA in History of Ceramics at Staffordshire University, which has given her new opportunities in writing about history as well as curating exhibitions of historical pots, such as Brampton kitchenware.

teaching

Besides making pots, Josie also teach Historical and Theoretical Studies part time at Derby University. She also get to see her old chum John Gibson who is now Head of Ceramics at the Glas & Keramikskolen on Bornholm when she goes out to teach ceramics there in April/May.

Josie also demonstrate and gives slide talks about her work for potters groups, colleges and summer schools.

Please CONTACT Josie if your group/school/college would be interested in a slide talk or a workshop.

exhibitions

Josie finds that exhibiting her pottery is a great opportunity to try out new ideas and so each year she is pleased to show work in at least two venues. This year her work will be travelling with the Pots in the Kitchen exhibition to the Galerie du Don in France from the 4th April to the 24th June, on Bornholm, Denmark in August and in Tegelen, The Netherlands in September.
Download Josie's CV as a WORD doc for details of past exhibitions.

outlets

Josie Walter's pots are currently available through the following retail outlets.

Contemporary Ceramics
Craft Potters Shop and Gallery
7 Marshall Street
London WIF 7EH

020 7437 7605

The Harley Gallery
Welbeck
Warsop
Nottinghamshire S803LW

01909501700

Rufford Craft Centre
Ollerton
Newark
Notts. NG22 9DF

Tel. 01623 821313
Email: ruffordceramiccentre@nottscc.gov.uk
www.ruffordcraftcentre.org.uk

Spectrum Gallery
Machynlleth
Powys.
Wales.

01654 702877

Josie Walter

Site design: Duich McKay

decorated earthenware pottery