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Born in Co Antrim, Joanne Gault the talented ceramicist behind New Forge Pottery has always been inspired by the process of creating art. With a BA Hons in Fine and Applied Arts (ceramics) from the University of Ulster, her passion for clay was ignited at secondary school, leading to a lifelong dedication to this versatile medium.

Focusing primarily on wheel-based stoneware, she draws inspiration from nature and the Arts and Crafts movement.

Joanne embraces the beauty of the ceramics journey—from raw clay to exquisite vessels—highlighting the time, patience, and respect required in the craft.

In recent years, she has grown particularly fond of the ancient Japanese firing process of Raku. Each piece is pulled from the fire at a high heat and exposed to fire and water or combustible materials. Relishing in the many joys and tragedies of this firing method, over time Joanne has developed her own unique technique which creates finishes that are magical and one of a kind.

Joanne feels Raku-fired pieces are a parallel of life – clay that is pushed and pulled, sometimes made to go in a direction it doesn’t want to go, exposed to extremes that can sometimes cause cracks to appear and scars the surface of the pot. And yet, through all of that, the end result is something beautiful.