Lisa Hammond, Maze Hill Pottery

I have two pieces by this wonderful potter - both bought from solo shows at Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham. Lisa was born in 1956 and has her studio and big wood-fired kiln at Maze Hill Pottery, Greenwich, SE London. I think she moved away for a while but is now back there. My first pot was (and still is) the most expensive pot I've ever bought - Mike kindly allowed me to pay it off in installments - must have thought I had an honest face  . Stoneware teapot with silver handle, tan soda glaze with finger wipes. 30cm (height to top of handle)




My second is a yunomi in her fabulous shino glaze, can't express how much I love this piece   Cut-sided black stoneware yunomi, lustrous shino with red blush. 8.9cm (height). Unmarked.

Some great videos of her here:
Goldmark TV Lisa Hammond

Lisa has been away in the middle of nowhere in Devon for a few years but you are correct that she is back working here in Greenwich, S.E. London........... so no wood-fired kilns allowed! It's back to cooking with gas!

Well, I was quite convinced that kiln was in London, but of course all that smoke would be banned

Kigbeare near Okehampton.
Hatfield 2011.

Can't really see much in the pictures, but think it's likely to be Lisa Hammond.

must get a tripod....thanks Potty...sure you are right...mp for Maze Hill Pottery

Yes it is Maze Hill Pottery (MHP) on the left and the second seal looks like LH, so Lisa's.

It is very much like salt glaze but it is soda glazed i.e. rather than using salt (sodium chloride) that releases chlorine gas, which upsets the neighbours a mix of sodium carbonates are used. This gives a similar effect to salt glazing but produces carbon dioxide as a by product, which is odourless.

Not easy to tell salt and soda glaze apart so your suggestion was near enough.

Blimey...nearly got it right. Btw did David Sharp ever just scratch his initials or did i buy a dud....though it was hardly worth being a forgery

If you follow her on facebook she's just done a firing with others like Ken Matsuzaki of Shoji Hamada's rebuilt kiln in Japan. Fascinating project

Lisa Hammond yunomi and small tsubo from CAL 2015

Lisa Hammond's stand at CAL 2015

 

Lisa has made a few pots that are not the usual saltglaze so I took a couple of snaps

Lisa Hammond shino teabowl.



Lisa's incised mark can be seen at "3 o'clock" on the base.

   

lovely tiger skin glaze

Lisa Hammond has been made an MBE in this year's honors for her work in the Adopt A Potter campaign

well deserved

Agreed :)
Her work can only appreciate. Stock up now for your pension.

I have these two ... took me a while to dig out the egg cup. I have to say looking at the photos of her stall that if you are going to invest in one of her pieces then surely you don't want a casserole dish or a jug? Her pieces are not cheap. they are not going to survive prolonged daily use. There are what look like pouring bowls - just the idea of these puts me off. Am I really meant to make cheese or the like in one of her pieces? Surely this belittles them? Odd that we here want the more elevated pieces... Yanomi, shino teabowls etc I mean Royal Copenhagen did not make dog bowls or toilet roll holders for a reason.

Both marked

She has assistants to help her with the functional
Pottery. Best to go for her personal pieces despite the higher prices.

As Rosanjin once said, "People content with low grade tableware can only produce low grade food. People raised on low grade food can only become low grade people."

So surely it is better to use functional ware you admire and make yourself a better person than to keep pots hoping they might be worth more than you paid for them one day?