Clarice Cliff: Breaking the Mould
Apr 02, 2021
Clarice Cliff: Breaking the Mould:
"a female pioneer who quite literally broke the mould in the English pottery industry”
Sarah Wright (Sky Arts)
The incredible Clarice Cliff (1899 – 1972) was an English ceramic artist, active from 1922 to 1963. She started work in a pottery in Stoke on Trent as a gilder (I.e. painting gold onto pottery) at the age of 14. She has been described as a "a vivacious young factory worker”. She worked her way up through the ranks of makers, becoming more accomplished with each decorative and building task, until she gained her own studio in 1927 at the Newport Pottery.
It was here that she started covering defective pieces of pottery with simple patterns of triangles, in a style that she called 'Bizarre'. To the surprise of the company's senior salesman, when he took a car load to a major stockist, it was immediately popular. A professional 'backstamp' was made, which carried Cliff's facsimile signature, and proclaimed "Hand painted Bizarre by Clarice Cliff, Newport Pottery England".
She developed a unique style of geometric shapes and showed "creativity and ambition" taking "more and more dangerous risks” with her design.
Her crocus design started to gain momentum with orders flooding in. By 1929 her team of decorators had grown to 70 around.
Throughout the 1930’s her designs grew in popularity and sold all over the world, in spite of the Great Depression. Through the decades her designs become increasingly stylised and decorated with bold colours.
Clarice Cliff's fame and success in the 1930s are hard to fully appreciate now, but at that time there was no such thing as 'career women'. She received unprecedented media coverage and was well known throughout the world.
The only pottery allowed to be produced during the second world war, white utility ware, so production of Cliff’s ceramics halted. Unfortunately it never gained the same popularity again during her lifetime, although it has undergone several revivals subsequently.
Cliffs work is now iconic and instantly recognisable. Original pieces sell for thousands.
If you would like to learn more about Clarice Cliff and learn to paint in her iconic style, Join my Clarice Cliff workshop on Thursday 15th April 1 - 3pm. You can book your place here.
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