Abi Baker is a potter, tutor and print-maker based in the beautiful North Pennines, which provides a great source of inspiration for her work.

From expressive animal characters hand-carved onto mugs, to cut-out croissants and coffee beans, Abi’s illustrated hand-thrown ceramics are packed full of personality and bound to brighten your morning coffee.

“Everything starts as a doodle” Abi explains of the creative process, where she applies illustrated characters onto her pots. “My sketchbook is full of creative chaos, ducks in berets, dogs in suits, badgers in dungarees… And if the drawing makes me smile, I transfer that onto my pottery."

One of the great things about Abi’s practice is the freedom she gives herself to explore her creativity through various mediums; from pottery and linocut to digital illustration and a mixture of processes, all of it infused with the same playful quality and still distinctly recognisable as the work of one artist.

“I love throwing pieces on the wheel, it is a mindful, repetitive process of creating the canvases I will then be able to put a little piece of my personality onto through my illustrations.”

Whilst it only takes 4 minutes for Abi to throw a mug, she can then spend between 1-3 hours to decorate each piece depending on the design, not forgetting prep, drying time and the firing process.

Some of these pot ‘throwing’ skills, Abi learnt from her Mum and Grandpa, who are also potters. Abi credits their shared love of this craft for bringing them closer as a family.

“Since starting pottery I have been able to connect with my mum and Grandpa in a different way, knowing we all have that relationship with clay has brought us closer in a way words never could."

Abi’s use of art as a form of communication extends to her illustrations. 

“When I was younger and quite an anxious teen, I struggled to express my emotions with words. During my time at Carlisle Art College, I first drew the little cartoon version of myself “lil abi” as we call her now, she always has a little speech bubble and a different expression on her face.

"This gave me an opportunity to express myself through my drawings, this was a huge shift for me as I felt like I suddenly had this super power of expression, 'lil abi' went on to become a way of communicating with people, spreading joy and keeps moving me forwards.”

Abi moved to Barnard Castle four years ago following college, and became part of a ‘wonderful community’ of artists, potters and independent businesses, a safe space for Abi to practice her pottery skills and develop her personal style. 

“I began working as a tutor for Teesdale Pottery Group and now help run the collective alongside Tabby, Sally, Jill and Hilary, all wonderful artists and potters who continue to support and inspire me every day.”

Living amongst the landscape of the North Pennines continues to have a great impact on Abi’s work and life.

Last year Abi took part in a residency at North Pennines National Landscape as part of their Land of Lead and Silver project. When researching and learning about the lead mining heritage for the project, Abi was encouraged to discover more about her own heritage and start her own personal project.

“My great grandmother was a quilt maker in Allendale, this inspired one of my final pieces, a quilted landscape of the North Pennines with ceramic tiles and photographs representing the lead mining infrastructure, social history and landscape heritage.

"Since this residency and since my first ever quilt, I have began learning to sew in the hope of creating more quilts, eventually with my own illustrative style, to tell stories inspired by traditional quilts, which hold so many memories.” 

"This will be a long process as I am so busy with workshops, commissions and making pottery, but I love the idea of working with fabric, something so different to clay, as a way of paying tribute to my great grandmother and all the women who left their mark on the culture of the North Pennines.”

As part of the residency, Abi led several workshops to great success. A number of participants bought linocutting equipment to continue learning the skill at home, and some signed onto Abi’s 10-week pottery course. Others were inspired to go away and learn about their own links to the area and came back to share these stories with Abi.

Before settling at Barney and setting up her practice there, Abi enjoyed travelling for a time and living in a campervan, but found it didn't allow her creative practice to ‘ground her’ in one place. 

“Before I started doing pottery full-time, I lived in my van with my partner, we travelled around France and then lived locally to Barney (Barnard Castle), the lifestyle suited me teaching myself pottery, as my only costs were fuel and food, so I could really focus on learning and less on working a conventional job. I loved the lack of routine and the amount of time spent alone in the woods, getting to know each plant and the different types of wood as I sat carving spoons, making baskets, making string from nettle fibres, drawing and just existing.”

But the time came for Abi when she realised moving into an actual house was necessary to further her creative practice. 

“From being the biggest challenge, it probably became the most rewarding thing, our little cottage also given me the opportunity to have a garden to grow veg, and a pottery studio to grow my business, develop my skills and see a future as an artist.”

In our fast-paced and results-driven world, Abi’s choice to prioritise her own learning and creative growth stands out and it’s great to see the investment paying off. When asked what advice she would give to her younger self and other burgeoning creatives she says:

“Don’t put pressure on yourself to create anything, slow down and enjoy the creative process, the best things always come out of creative playing. Don’t compare yourself to others.”

Abi also believes that ‘everybody is creative, some people just haven't found 'their thing' yet.’ To those who haven’t found their ‘thing’ yet, Abi suggests joining creative clubs, attending workshops, being kind to yourself as a beginner and finding a mentor.

“Find a tutor/artist who you like learning from, someone who is so passionate about their craft that they will inspire you with their enthusiasm, they will be so keen to pass on their skills onto you. As a tutor, I hear so many people, particularly adults that say that they “aren’t creative” or “will probably be bad at this” and then go on to enjoy the process of learning and surprise themselves with the pieces they create. I think showing up for your first workshop is the hardest part, harder than the actual craft that you want to learn.”

“Be kind to yourself whilst you’re learning and you’ll enjoy the process even more!”

For those who attend her workshops for lino printing, pottery making, glazing and painting, Abi is that enthusiastic and encouraging mentor. When she’s not tutoring, Abi can also be found working on commissions or prepping for her first big market.

“I will be selling my pottery and prints at Forage Lifestyle market on November 9th. It’s quite a big deal for me as I haven’t wanted to commit to a market until I was really proud of the pieces I am making, so to be at the point where I have a market in the calendar is something I am really proud of.

"I’d like to continue making work to sell at markets, as much to sell my work as to meet other artisans, full of passion and love for their craft.”

You can find more of Abi’s work here or at the Forage Winter market on November the 9th!

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