He enjoys simplicity in which there is a minimum of embellishment.
Adrian Bates is a self-taught ceramicist who has dedicated the past 25 years to his passion for pottery, becoming a full-time maker in 2012 after previous careers in graphic design and craft teaching. His work captures a sense of elegance and timelessness, focusing on simplicity with minimal embellishment where line, form, negative space, and proportion are the key elements of his sculptural pieces for home and garden.
Adrian Bates' Artistic Approach
Adrian creates stoneware sculptural pieces that are either thrown on the wheel or hand-built from stoneware clays. Some pieces are simply glazed to emphasize their form, while others remain unglazed. His technical process involves biscuit firing to 990°C, followed by refinement, glazing where appropriate, and high-firing to 1260°C in oxidation.
From Teaching to Creating
After becoming disenchanted with the lack of self-expression in his 20-year graphics career, Adrian discovered clay through an evening class in 2000. Between 2007 and 2012, he taught various crafts including woodwork, copper beating, silver smithing, and pottery to students aged 7-19. Though he found teaching brilliant, his desire to become a full-time maker led him to make the significant but fulfilling career change in 2012.
Exhibition History and Recognition
Since becoming a full-time ceramicist, Adrian has exhibited extensively throughout the UK. His work has appeared in prestigious venues including Potfest events across the country, Art in Clay exhibitions, and the Cotswold Sculptors Association's "Creating Spaces" shows. He has completed various commissions, notably for University College London's Sustainable Design Awards in 2022 and Sustainable Manufacturing Awards in 2024, as well as for interior design agencies and garden designers. His pieces can be found in private collections throughout the UK and Europe, and he maintains professional memberships with the Craft Potters Association, Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, Westcountry Potters' Association, and Cotswold Sculptors' Association.