Nic Collins, British studio pottery wood fired beaker, stoneware, c1995

Size: 12 cm tall, 8 cm across rim.

Condition: Very good condition. Flat chip on foot-rim which is probably from removal in the kiln where is has stuck to the shelf. 

This beaker by Nic Collins has a lovely sheen from the wood firing and is signed on the base. Nic Collins (born 1958) has been captivated by wood firing from an early age. As a self-taught potter, he started building kilns and wheels during his late teens and early 20s, experimenting with raku, salt glazing and sawdust firings, and using clay sourced from local river banks. He studied studio ceramics at Derby College of Art 1985-86 and then went on to work in potteries in Italy and Germany before returning to the UK. He now lives and works in Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor. Along with his friend Svend Bayer, he is one of the self styled Gnarly Dudes, five potters who first met in 1997 at Powdermills pottery to stage an exhibition of pots fired using Nic's anagama kiln, and who now stage an annual event there.