Biography
Fascinated with pots from a young age, Lisa Hammond consolidated her training in studio pottery in Medway, Kent. She set up Greenwich Pottery Workshop in 1980 alongside teaching at Goldsmiths College for some thirteen years, where committed students and staff helped to pioneer the use of soda glaze in the UK.
After the closure of Goldsmiths College’s ceramics department, in 1994, with training in mind, Hammond went on to set up Maze Hill Pottery in a disused ticket office.
Over the past fifteen years she has trained many apprentices who now have their own successful careers. This was alongside running weekly evening and weekend courses to introduce pottery to a wider audience and to supplement the ever-decreasing availability of classes to the public sector.
During the working day, alongside her apprentice, Hammond has produced an extensive range of soda glazed kitchen and table ware, with an ever-increasing number of individual pieces, all fired in a large trolley kiln.
In 2009, Hammond took the opportunity to open a new studio in Devon, carrying on the principles of Maze Hill but with more space to train apprentices and to run more extensive workshops and masterclasses with invited guest potters from overseas. After successfully setting up and running the new studio for 3 years, she returned to my studio at Maze Hill in 2012.
Statement
My work embraces and extensive range of thrown functional ware for the preparation, cooking and serving of food. It is immensely important to me that this work is used in daily life.
Alongside functional ware I have always made a range of work that is more individual and playful. The development of these pieces is a result of the time I spent in Japan, making, firing and exhibiting.
My forms are strong, fluid and unfussy, and are intended to retain a suggestion of the soft plasticity of the clay.