Ard Beag Ceramics

Ard Beag Ceramics is an artisan studio pottery located near Brora, in the Highlands of Scotland. The functional domestic pottery is wheel thrown using traditional techniques and fired to 1260-1300 degrees centigrade. The pottery is designed for modern, domestic living, to be used and appreciated in discerning homes everywhere, everyday. 

In recent years the Ard Beag Pottery output has been simple white porcelain; contemporary in both form and function.  However, a long held ambition to build a wood-fired kiln was realised in which very different effects of the flame and soda on the surfaces of our porcelain and stoneware pots are achieved.  Results in this relatively new kiln are proving to be very exciting and the pottery has developed some consistent effects as well as new and interesting directions to take the work.   

Louise Nadin – potter 

Back in the 1980’s, as part of a teacher training degree, Louise studied ceramics under the direction of Brian Dewberry and quickly progressed to wheel thrown work which became a consuming and engaging lifetime passion.  Being unable to concentrate wholly on making pottery for a living, Louise set out on a career in education that included teaching, management and curriculum development of arts and crafts in a range of schools and community settings.   She never lost sight of her commitment to making and over the years ensured that her skills were further developed on courses led by many eminent potters in the world of British Studio ceramics; John Leach, Josie Walter, Kyra Kane, Sebastian Blackie, Andy Mason, David and Margaret Frith, Matthew Blakeley, Nic Collins, David Roberts, Patricia Shone to name but a few and to whom she is indebted to their generosity in sharing their expertise. 

In 1997 a small workshop was established in Derbyshire where Louise began to develop her own style and processes in the making of wheel thrown domestic stoneware, but the limitations of a small shed became evident and the move to a more appropriate venue in Scotland, with space for the proposed wood burning kiln, happened in 2006.  A bigger studio enabled a bigger output and the development of simple white porcelain proved popular with the buying public.  This was encouraging, but the commitment to build the wood fired kiln went through a number of processes before finally settling on a design with support from Fergus Stewart, a brilliant potter on the west coast at Lochinver.  The successful first and subsequent firings since 2019 have ensured the next chapter in the development of Ard Beag Ceramics and a determination to produce good quality, handmade, functional pottery through the exciting and tenuously manageable medium of fire.  

Simon Nadin - potter  

Simon first handled clay at school and while this early work showed great promise in execution and design, the opportunity to further develop his innate skillset always seemed to take second place to his first great passion, rock climbing.  Simon has climbed all over the world and on many different rock types and has a huge affinity to surface detail, nuance of pattern and textured features.  His photographic skills have recorded many of these landscapes over the years and Simon’s reputation for good composition in published photographic works was always going to translate into clay, just as soon as he was prepared to sit down for long enough to start making.   This happened in earnest during ‘lockdown’ and he has not looked back.  Simon is quickly mastering skills required for repetition throwing and is selling well.  Simon’s practical interest in firing the kiln as well as an enthusiasm to experiment with locally dug clays in slip decoration will ensure that Ard Beag Ceramics is home to two unique potters, not just one.