BACK TO ARCHIVE   VIEW FROM MY WORKSHOP . . .   Page 3     All miniaturists have something they dread making. With Karen this is teacup handles. Unlike porcelain, bone china in not very plastic. 'A handle will dry out quickly so you have to be quick and precise.' In 1981 Karen had gained her BA and MA in ceramics at the Royal Art College - just in time for a major recession. She began teaching and lecturing in ceramics, drawing and classic design an art colleges. A niece had a dollshouse containing some quality miniatures and Karen thought 'I could do that'. She made a range of 10 terracotta pots which were promptly snapped up by a London dollshouse shop and 12 more of each pot were ordered. It was the birth of 'Stokesay Ware' for Peter and Karen and led to a table at the Dorking show where they were invited to participate in the first London Dollshouse Festival and Birmingham Miniatura shows. Stokesay Ware has not missed a single one of these two shows since then. Other shows they regularly attend are Tom Bishop's Chicago International, Philadelphia Miniaturia and the Dutch show Arnhem Poppenhuisstad. Selection of Rose and Mulberry china Peter is a history graduate with BA (Hons) and belittles his own talents - but the growth and innovation of Stokesay Ware have been just as important as the production side. Incidentally, for many years he has been the Guild Contact for IGMA in the UK. Of special interest is the website www.stokesayware.com where you will find a wealth of information about all aspects of their output. I should mention here that there is a free DIY project that can be downloaded - a blue willow pattern for tiles and another for wallpaper to suit a kitchen and range. They have an enviable collection of full size 'pots' and those by Spode, Royal Doulton and Crown Derby are particular favourites. They also collect miniatures and have a Victorian dollshouse, a 'luxury' version of the house they live in. They are film enthusiasts and their favourite is 'The Lord of the Rings'. Of course they know it was filmed in New Zealand and plan to visit the Convention one day and afterwards do some sight-seeing. A few years ago, while on a family holiday in Shropshire, we visited Stokesay Castle (completed in 1291) near Ludlow. I wondered at the time if this had a connection with Stokesay Ware and, yes, it has. Karen's parents were born and brought up near the village of Stokesay. They were married in the Castle chapel and, in due course, Karen was christened there.   Blue willow dinner plate     1 :: 2 :: 3         HOME :: FINE CHINA :: GALLERY PRICE LIST :: ORDER :: EVENTS :: PROJECTS LINKS :: ARCHIVE         STOKESAY WARE 37 Sandbrook Road, Stoke Newington London N16 0SH, UK Telephone 020 7254 5242 International +44 20 7254 5242 email peter@stokesayware.com         Content, design & graphics copyright © Karen Griffiths 2004