Robin Welch

Robin Welch (1936–2019) was a celebrated British ceramicist with a unique and varied career. His first real introduction to pottery came while studying for a Diploma in Art & Design at Penzance School of Art, where he was taught by Michael Leach, Bernard Leach’s youngest son. Originally focused on sculpture, Welch began exploring pottery under Michael’s guidance and soon started working at the Leach Pottery on weekends and during holidays.

He went on to spend a year at the Central School of Art in London before establishing his first pottery, followed by a second in Australia, where he lived and worked for three years. Upon returning to England in 1965, he founded Stradbroke Pottery, where he remained for the rest of his career. It was at Stradbroke that Welch developed his distinctive style, combining thrown, coiled, and slab-built forms. He experimented extensively with materials and glazes, and his larger pieces were both thrown and hand-built to achieve the desired height and form.

Welch exhibited widely and his work is held in public collections in the UK, including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, as well as in Australia and the Netherlands. He was craftsman-in-residence at Monash University, New York State College of Art, and Indiana University, and designed shapes for prominent manufacturers including Denby, Midwinter, Rose of England Bone China, and Wedgwood.

A testament to his influence on British studio pottery is his inclusion in Tony Birks’ influential book The Art of the Modern Potter (1967), where he was featured alongside Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Gordon Baldwin, and Ruth Duckworth. Robin Welch’s work is celebrated for its technical skill, inventive forms, and lasting contribution to 20th- and 21st-century ceramics.