Alistair Wilshaw
Pottery
Based in Foxhole near Bodmin. Cornwall is both painter and potter. His work is rooted in the meeting point between restraint and ruggedness - where the pared-back elegance of Japanese aesthetics encounters the raw, weathered spirit of Cornwall’s Clay Country.
The non-functional forms he creates are intentionally modest, often irregular, drawing on the Japanese principles of wabi-sabi—the beauty of imperfection, transience, and the handmade. Cracks, runs, and surface scars are embraced rather than concealed, allowing each piece to speak of process, fire, and the unpredictable hand of nature.
At the same time, the earthy palette and textures echo the industrial landscape of Cornwall’s China clay pits: stripped hillsides, rusted machinery, and white dusted ground.
The raku firing process that forms part of his process deepens this connection. It introduces spontaneity and chaos, letting smoke, flame, and thermal shock leave their mark. Each pot emerges singular—like a relic unearthed—holding both the precision of intent and the freedom of accident.
He wants his work to feel both ancient and current, fragile yet grounded—a stillness forged in fire, reflecting both the inward poetry of Japanese tradition and the stark, tactile realism of Cornwall’s clay landscape.