Keith Brymer Jones
Keith Brymer Jones | |
|---|---|
 Keith Brymer Jones on wheel at Clay Gulgong 2016 (Triennial ceramics festival in Gulgong, NSW) | |
| Born | 3 June 1965 |
| Occupation(s) | Potter, ceramic designer |
| Notable work | The Great Pottery Throw Down |
| Height | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Spouse | Marj Hogarth |
| Website | http://www.keithbrymerjones.com/ |
Keith Brymer Jones (born 3rd June 1965)[1] is a British potter and ceramic designer who produces homeware with retro lettering and punk motifs. He is an expert judge on Channel 4 television programme The Great Pottery Throw Down.
Early life
[edit]Brymer Jones was born in Finchley, London.[2] He describes his father as a "very, very sporty" tennis player.[3] His mother was an alcoholic who died at age 55 in 1992.[3] At eighteen months old, Brymer Jones developed a serious case of gastroenteritis.[2]
Brymer Jones has dyslexia, something he was not diagnosed with as a child, meaning teachers often ridiculed him. At the age of 11, Brymer Jones made his first pottery object – an owl – in his art class in secondary school. It was then that he knew he wanted to be a potter. He claims his pottery was liked by his art teacher, Mr Mortman,[2] and it was one of the first times a teacher complimented his work.[3]
Career
[edit]In 1983, Brymer Jones was working at a Tesco, when he was approached by a co-worker who said he was in a punk band called The Wigs and needed a lead singer.[3] Brymer Jones then began his brief stint as lead singer for the group.
Brymer Jones soon left the band and worked for two men in a Watford pottery studio.[2] He would wake up at 5am and walk two and a half hours to his job, where he spent ten hours preparing clay.[2] Brymer Jones then became an apprentice at Harefield Pottery in London. This is where he learned to make modern ceramics.[4] He stopped working for them when they relocated to Scotland.
After his apprenticeship, Brymer Jones started out hand-making ceramics for retailers including Conran Group, Habitat, Barneys New York, Monsoon, Laura Ashley and Heal's. He began to develop the Word Range for the first time;[4] he was originally attracted to words because of their shapes, as he is dyslexic. Brymer Jones describes working with clay, shape and form as a natural affinity, as a result of his condition.[5]
Brymer Jones is head of design for MAKE International.[6]
In 2015, he debuted as an expert judge alongside Kate Malone on BBC2's The Great Pottery Throw Down where his readiness to shed tears at the contestants' work attracted comment.[7] He remained as judge when the programme transferred to More4 in 2020 and Channel 4 in 2021.
Brymer Jones published his autobiography in 2022: Boy in a China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything.
Personal life
[edit]In 2019, Brymer Jones was made an honorary graduate at the University of Staffordshire.[6][2]
He has a studio in Whitstable, Kent.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Keith Brymer JONES - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Leszkiewicz, Anna (6 February 2022). "Keith Brymer Jones: "My dad couldn't handle emotion. I'll cry over a pot, for God's sake"". New Statesman. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Graham, Jane (29 January 2023). "Keith Brymer Jones: 'I get emotional about pottery'". Big Issue. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Keith Brymer Jones Contemporary ceramic tableware, mugs and homeware | About Keith". www.keithbrymerjones.com. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Youtube". Youtube. Keith Brymer Jones.
- ^ a b c "Keith Brymer Jones - Honorary Graduate - Staffordshire University". www.staffs.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Tim Dowling (11 November 2015), "The Great Pottery Throw Down review: if your pot doesn't make the judge cry, you aren't trying hard enough", The Guardian
External links
[edit]- Keith Brymer Jones – professional website