Ceramicist Rebecca Wordsworth lives and works near Frome, Somerset, on an old working farm with her husband, a menagerie of animals and the occasional returning child. Her studio is a converted dairy parlour overlooking the rolling Somerset landscape. After a varied career in theatre, music and art, Wordsworth returned to university to study 3D art and design. ‘It was a huge decision, but it gave me the confidence to start taking my ceramics more seriously,’ she says.
She set up her porcelain business in 2015 and it has blossomed into something that she never conceived of. ‘I started off by featuring my pieces in small exhibitions. I moved on to become part of Owl, a gallery artists’ collective in Frome, and to supplying London stockists such as Summerill & Bishop, and now I am fulfilling international commissions that come via Instagram and word of mouth. I love the fact my ceramics touch such a wide audience.’ Wordsworth’s unique pieces, imprinted with plants and other textures, are made in porcelain, mainly embellished with cobalt blue, green and iron oxides and finished with gold lustre. ‘My inspiration comes from my surroundings,’ she says. ‘In some ways, my work is seasonal, as I use vegetation that inspires me at that present moment.
Cow parsley was my original symbol and is definitely my best seller. It’s the lace-like impression it leaves on the porcelain, immortalising the plant, that gets me every single time. I also use ferns, grasses and nettles, as well as a tea plant from Kerala and my great-grandmother’s table napkin. I even impressed the necklace I wore on my wedding day on to a piece: I probably shouldn’t have sold that one!’ From a converted dairy parlour in Somerset, comes a collection of artisan ceramics
And the business is continuing to evolve: ‘I’m working on a few online projects right now, so watch that space,’ Wordsworth says. As for her home, she says, ‘I love throwing random pieces together: my grandmother’s antique furniture, a ropey old doll’s house that my grandsons love, a baby grand piano that is played into the early hours, Edwardian chairs upholstered by a friend, and modern art that I’ve picked up along the way. I shop local and support local artisans. I love Frome: it’s full of independent stores. The Life of Riley, for instance, is a great bric-a-brac shop full of absolute gems.’