About

I make raku and functional studio ceramics in small batches. Some pieces are hand-built, some are thrown on the wheel and a few are slipcast. The finished work matters, but I enjoy the testing, glazing and firing just as much.

David Stubley working at the pottery wheel
About the work

What I make.

I tend to keep the forms fairly simple and let the surface do some of the talking. Repeating a shape a few times lets me see the small differences that come from making by hand.

Raku is a big part of what I make. I can control the form and the glaze, but once the work is hot, smoke and reduction start to have their say. The crackle, metallic colours and smoky marks are part of why I keep coming back to it.

The croft houses have become one of the pieces people recognise most, along with bowls, small sculptural forms and seasonal work such as the snowflake baubles. They are inspired by the traditional houses found on Scottish crofts. Simple buildings with a strong sense of place and a lot of history behind them.

I’m a member of the Scottish Potters Association, part of a wider community of ceramic makers across Scotland.

Raku work

Croft houses.

The houses draw on the traditional homes found on Scottish crofts. I like their simple, solid character and the history carried by those buildings and landscapes. I make them in small batches, then let the raku firing give each one its own smoky marks and glaze variation.

Finished raku croft house with a dark glazed roof, pale walls and a red door.
Finished raku croft house
A batch of unfired croft houses lined up in the studio.
A batch before glazing and firing
David Stubley throwing a vessel at the pottery wheel.
At the wheel / Studio ceramics
David Stubley Raku Fired Ceramics
Studio Ceramics

Alongside my raku work, I make a growing range of functional studio ceramics, from mugs and tumblers to bowls and plates. All made to be used every day.

Most are thrown on the wheel and fired in the electric kiln. I also slipcast a few forms, including the espresso cup.

They are dinnerware safe, but I still make them in small batches so each one keeps its own small differences.

This site is where I keep the finished work together with the bits around it: process photographs, glaze tests, firings and notes from places that send me back to the studio with ideas.