Neville makes functional Slipware pottery that is raw fired to earthenware temperatures.
As a student he 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
Slipware was the traditional rural pottery ware of Europe for centuries. The ceramics from this era have inspired the forms created by Neville.
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.
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.
