Peter Beard British, b. 1951

Peter Beard's professional career in ceramics began in 1973.

• About 20 years ago, Beard introduced bronze, and occasionally stone, to his repertoire. 

• Beard's work has been exhibited worldwide and is represented in numerous museums, public collections, and private collections in the UK and overseas.  He has also received numerous awards from various international bodies.

 • Beard's strong, simple shapes are decorated with complex surfaces to complement the form and excite the eye, drawing an emotional response from the viewer.

Landscape is a main source of inspiration, along with ancient artefacts from diverse cultures.

His wax-resist pieces involve combining shiny, matt, and semi-matt glazes built up in layers to create textural surfaces during firing.  Wax is used to isolate areas during glaze application.

I also make ground pieces.  The technique here involves the layering of coloured clays and glaze and then grinding back the glazed surface to reveal intricate patterns within a silky smooth marble-like finish which is beautifully tactile.  These pieces can take up to six months to complete and are the culmination of hours of experimentation and development.

Mine is an evolutionary process, combining technical skill with innovation and passion with intellect.

I first encountered clay when I was a small child, and whilst studying for my degree in industrial design and furniture design at Ravensbourne College of Art in London (1970-1973) was able to spend time in the ceramics department. On finishing college I helped set up a pottery in Scotland making thrown domestic stoneware. I opened my first studio in Kent in 1975, making mainly sculptural pieces. My current studio is in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

I make thrown and hand-built pieces in oxidised stoneware fired to 1280°C, using combinations of matt and semi-matt glazes and coloured clays, built up in layers prior to firing to create textural surfaces in a range of pastel shades and some stronger colours. Some surfaces are ground back to reveal the intricate patterns within the structure. Wax resist is used extensively to create patterns and to isolate the glaze layers during application. I also work in bronze and some stone, in addition to ceramics.

I have exhibited regularly in group exhibitions and one-man shows since 1975 in Britain and abroad.