The face behind the make
Vicki Scoble
After taking an Art and Design degree, I fell into the world of advertising and publishing, working creatively across women’s magazines. I loved the job, but with a young family it was difficult to work in such a deadline-driven environment, so after becoming a Mummy I was ready for a new challenge.
It was a chance meeting with a lovely lady while living in Cambridgeshire that introduced me to the idea of running a pottery business. She introduced me to her suppliers who trained me in the basics of glazing and firing, and Pot-tastic was born!
I can’t take the credit for the name – that was my husband’s lightbulb moment! My two boys have grown up around the business, and they both help me run events and come up with new ideas. As they get older, they are able to help with the technology and social media side, so it truly is a family business.
I love creating unique and often personalised items, and never tire of opening the kiln to see how creations have transformed during the firing process. I also enjoy a bespoke order to keep me on my toes and keep my ideas fresh! I develop lots of these and they become collections in themselves.
Our home is nestled in the Chilterns, which provides an abundance of inspiration, and I feel so lucky to have found a career that I love and that works around my family.
I hope you enjoy my collections so far and keep checking in to see the new items I’m always adding…
The Hand Painted Process
Many people are interested in the steps we follow to create your bespoke piece of pottery.
I start with a bisque item (a blank piece of unfired pottery). I see this as my canvas, so I draw on the design first, before starting to work with the specialised paint. It’s an unusual paint in that the colours look much brighter once they are glazed.
Once I’m happy with the design, the item is then glazed and fired in one of two industrial kilns, which heat the products up to 1000 degrees. The kilns really are the heart of the business, so a few years ago I decided to name them Lizzy 1 and Lizzy 2 as a tribute to our fantastic Queens!
Firing is a lengthy process – it takes a full eight hours to heat up and another eight hours to cool down. There’s no way to speed up this process during busy periods, so I need to be super organised to make full use of the kilns.
Over the years, I have developed quite a unique writing style, and those that know my work say they can recognise a Pot-tastic piece because it is so distinctive.
It takes time to create your personalised pieces, hence the two-to-three- week turnaround time. As each piece is painted specifically for you, it’s always possible to add an extra detail or change a colour; just let me know and I’ll be sure to create something truly bespoke!
All Pot-tastic purchases are food safe and, although they’re dishwasher safe too, I like to recommend hand washing to keep them in perfect condition.
