Caroline Lucas

Aged 17, Caroline won a Major County Award to study at St. Martins School of Art in London, graduating with honours in 1957. She worked in the Art Department, J Walter Thompson, and then turned to illustration. However, four children and life on a small working dairy farm in North Devon stopped all that. Until, in 1988, she bought Welcombe Pottery (which is now run by her son Ben Lucas).

"I start by working very fast and within a few hours I have the complete animal, although initially it's very coarse - like a rough sketch - but hopefully the stance and proportions are right. Then I spend many more hours gradually refining, cutting bits out and adding bits on, until suddenly, like magic, the animal emerges".

"While the fascination is there I will often repeat an animal as I like to try to capture it again and again, though similar, these animals are never identical. After a first firing the animals are glazed and the raku fired. Raku means life".