Ahead of the opening of his exhibition The Loft Pots: Firing, Selection and Contemplation at Blue Projects, we visited ceramic artist Steve Harrison at his studio in Enfield to talk about his work and the immense significance of showing never before seen pieces from his personal archive.

In Harrison’s sunlit workshop, various works in different stages of completion are arranged alongside glazes, pigments and a selection of items collected from his travels.

All his ceramic works are shaped here on a potters wheel, with handles and spouts cast separately and added to the pots before being biscuit fired on-site. The pieces are then transported to Wales where they are salt fired to achieve their distinct speckled glaze. This process is demanding and physically challenging, requiring Harrison to destroy and rebuild the kiln after every few firings due to repeated exposure to high temperatures. 

For nearly 30 years Harrison has dedicated himself to this process, and for the past 20 has been keeping only the most remarkable pieces as part of his personal archive. Known as the ‘loft pots’, these works represent some of the most significant developments of his career and serve as the foundation for pieces that are yet to be made.

Steve Harrison
The Loft Pots: Firing, Selection and Contemplation

29 November 2019 – 15 February 2020

View the exhibition