Louise Waller & Janet Holmes: Diversity in Clay

Exhibition: Louise Waller & Janet Holmes: Diversity in Clay
Rathbone Studio, CH41 6AE
Date(s): 12/07/2025 - 13/09/2025
1:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Diversity in Clay
Louise Waller & Janet Holmes

12th July – 13^th September

The opening on Saturday 12th July will be 12.00 – 5.00.

The exhibition will then be open Tuesday to Saturday 1.30-5.00.

Reflecting the variety of techniques, styles, and cultural influences that Louise and I use.

Louise and I have both drawn inspiration from a rich history of clay arts, the textures and qualities of clay as well as our own personal artistic visions. This being said, the diversity of the exhibition will be a powerful display, showing our own individual creativity.

Diversity in Clay Art exhibition showing all aspects of creating with clay, different building techniques, pinch, slab, coiling, press mould, casting, throwing, modeling. Through displaying these techniques, the vastly varied ways of achieving texture and decoration are shown – texturing the clay, impressions, carving, scraffito, slip work, burnishing, exploring oxides.

Louise and I both make the point of working in such a wide variety of ceramic techniques being connected to our other roles as clay tutors and workshop leaders.

The most important aspect of clay for both of us is it’s unique diversity, there are a vast amount of different types of clay, this will be shown in the exhibition. Porcelain, stoneware, terracotta, grogged and smooth bodies, all with their own caricaturists, beauty and strengths. We want the form and the material to be the main star.

The Rathbone Studio is on one of the sites of the original Della Robbia Pottery (1894-1906) founder by Harold Rathbone. There were no pattern books at this pottery and artist and decorators were encouraged to explore their own creativity, to the extent that they were encourage to work completely free hand. The variation in the work produced by the Della Robbia Pottery was a very unique and inspiring concept. When I realised that one of the Della Robbia buildings was vacant, it seemed important to bring pottery back to Birkenhead, with my love of the qualities of clay mirroring the ethos of the original pottery.

Janet Holmes, sculptural ceramics.

In 2012 I opened the Rathbone Studio in Birkenhead, in a space which was part of the iconic Della Robbia Pottery (1894–1906) and is now my pottery studio and gallery.

The ethos behind the Della Robbia Pottery was to bring individuality to each piece produced; allowing the artist to express and create unique and original designed ceramic work. I feel I have brought back the zeitgeist spirit of the Della Robbia Pottery to Birkenhead through my own work.

The decidedly individual and unique sculptural ceramic that I create has an unpretentious organic element, showing my love of clay. I have always been drawn to the qualities of clay. Exploring how pieces can look, feel and reflect emotions by using different clays and textures. Forming the pieces for Diversity in Clay Art, for me, is an exploration of the never ending and fascinating journey of creating with clay.

Louise Waller Ceramics

Louise Waller Ceramics has run alongside employment at Tate Liverpool for the past 20+ years. Creative projects as an artist educator have recently included the Money Box display in the Box office of Shakespeare North. In 2023 a solo exhibition at the Victoria Gallery in Liverpool called “20 Years of Clay”. The pieces on display in “Diversity in Clay” include a new series made in Rathbone Studio as well as some never seen before metallic glazed pieces and some older work that was included in 20 Years of Clay.

Louise is also going to have a small selection of work included in the Liverpool Art Fair at The Liver Building this summer.

“I make ceramic sculptural vessels that are often deliberately unbalanced in appearance. They often combine an organic and a geometric shape, of which one could be perceived as vessel and handle. My pieces work well displayed in small groupings. Glaze is used sparingly, often just inside the vessels as I like the focus to be on the refined textural surface of the fired clay.

Diversity in Clay will be a living exhibit which will be changed and added to throughout the duration of the display. “

Opening Saturday 12th July until Saturday 13th September.
Tuesdays – Saturdays, hours to be confirmed
Special events to be confirmed

Rathbone Studio
28 Argyle Street
Birkenhead
CH41 6AE

About Rathbone Studio:

The Rathbone Studio is a gallery and exhibition space. On display are hand crafted sculptural ceramics that emphasize the qualities of clay, soft tactile forms. Works by ceramic sculptor Janet Holmes. Original work that is unique, from sculptural pottery to hand carved dishes for that special gift. Commissions welcome. Pottery workshops for all abilities and taster session on the potters wheel.

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