Neville graduated in 3D design Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Glass at
Manchester Met where he specialised in wheel thrown ceramics under the
tutelage of Alex McErlain. Since then he has become an established maker
on the contemporary ceramics scene.
He is a regular exhibitor at high profile selected shows most recently at
Ceramic Art London, Bovey Tracey Craft Festival and Potfest in the Park
Neville makes functional Slipware pottery that is raw fired to earthenware
temperatures.
Focusing on Slipware is important to his practise as it enables a more
environmentally friendly approach, using local clays which fire at lower
temperatures. Over recent years he has become an advocate of raw or once
firing feeling strongly that despite its challenges it is a more sustainable
model for contemporary ceramics in a modern world with dwindling
resources.
Predating the industrial revolution and the Arts and Crafts Movement,
Slipware was the traditional rural pottery ware of Europe for centuries. The
ceramics from this era have inspired the forms created by Neville.
His pots are hand thrown, functional pieces. The materials and techniques
used remain visible, often with the warmth of the terracotta clay showing through
the glaze or left bare, creating a textural contrast between the raw and glazed
surfaces.
The pieces are decorated using slip trailed and incised decoration which is then
finished with a lead based glaze. The application and thickness of the slip also
determines a range of effects.
