Carol Metcalfe Homepage
Strata Pots- textured ash glazed forms
Comfrey Scroll Platter - ash glazes & local ochre
Landscape Platter - ash glazed stoneware
Ash glazed stoneware ceramics
Carol produces a wide variety of handbuilt stoneware pieces glazed with her own sustainable plant ash glazes.
" I love the ginkgo pieces and the dog's paw print coaster, Carol" May 2023
" A gorgeous exhibition" 18 April 2023
"Thank you for the lovely exhibition. We will treasure our Carol Metcalfe plate" April 2023
"Beautiful colours, textures and compositions - a really interesting show" March 2023
" Carol, you created a pot for us with such beautiful colours and contours of a landscape. It is the most magnificent piece of work, with texture of implanted seeds as well, and brings much joy to us in our house. Thank you!" 12 June 2022
"Beautiful ceramics - love the colours and textures" May 2022
"Carol's work is so varied and beautiful" 15 April 2022
Latest news
Ampleforth Abbey
Carol is one of over 50 members of North Yorkshire Open Studios who are about to transform the historic Alban Roe House into an art fair extravaganza! Each with their own dedicated space, they will be creating a vibrant and inspiring atmosphere.
Make it a day trip and enjoy the grounds, chapel and great food in the cafe
Find us at
Ampleforth Abbey
York
YO62 4EN
12 July to 20 July
Open from 10am to 5pm daily (Closing early on Sunday 20 July at 3pm)
Carol will be there herself on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, to chat about her work.
Back in her studio, Carol is currently working on further ash glaze research, using materials from her garden and the farm where she lives near Richmond, North Yorkshire.
She showcased new work during the Summer North Yorkshire Open Studios event, the first two weekends in June 2025.
This was an opportunity to chat with Carol about the inspiration and development of her work. There was also be work in progress to see and finished work for sale.
North Yorkshire Open Studios at Ampleforth Abbey
Burning crop waste for ash glazes
About
Carol Metcalfe studied Arts & Design at the University of Sunderland, where she worked in several media, including textiles, printmaking, ceramics and glass.
Carol then continued
her studies, researching ash glazes
using the waste material from arable pea and bean crops for her PhD, New Ash Glazes from Arable Crop Waste.
The new ash glazes
developed are fired to lower stoneware temperature, 1240C, significantly reducing the
amount of energy required for the firings of her electric kiln. She has
written articles on this subject for Ceramic
Review magazine.
Carol’s ceramic art practice incorporates her home-grown ash glazes, together with other found materials, collected locally. She works with two main themes
-
the landscapes
around her home in North Yorkshire, executed by use of coloured slips and textures.
- secondly, texture created by found objects,leaves and weed seeds, collected around the farm where she lives, which she incorporates into her clay.
Thus, Carol’s ceramic pieces have a strong sense of place. Some of the landscapes are torn and reassembled, Carol’s response to the challenges the countryside has faced over the years, scarred but enduring.
A long-held ambition to use wind power to fire her electric kiln has been realised with the installation of a small turbine. Work is now produced using this renewable energy as far as possible.
