Terry Davies was born in the Welsh border town of Shrewsbury, Shrophire in 1961. His passion for clay began aged 11 and by the time he was 19 years old, he knew how to throw and control clay into any form needed. He gained a further artistic form of training from his extensive travels, starting with a period on Green Island Dorset, where he learned the techniques of salt and soda firing with Guy Sydneham. After a years’ stay in the French pottery village of Laborne, his passion for wood firing had been seeded, this was by far the most influential chapter of his long journey.
On his return to The U.K in 1992, he set up the Stapehill Abbey pottery, where he first started playing with his textured “Pelle di elefante” surface. Not being content with a stable situation, his travels took him on Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. He finally settled in Italy in the Tuscan countryside, where now 20 years on, he is well known in the international field of ceramics, with many articles written on his work. He has won many awards and prizes and his work features shown in many European galleries and museums, public and private collections. He is known for his performance firings throughout Europe, which never fail to spellbound his public. In 2018 Terry celebrated his 40th year since beginning his apprenticeship, holding two major personal exhibitions in Italy.
“The most important aspect of my working life is as a maker, I am a potter first. I experiment during each process of making and firing. Fire has always been passion, and I use this medium to break the barriers in my home of Italy, language, culture, heritage. From primitive Etruscan kilns, to modern day materials such as glass bottles, cotton sheets, or newspaper. The fire lights up the eyes of the young and old, and puts us all in a feeling of warmth and safety.”
He will be making kilns for the garden during the 2019 Festival.
