7 Spot Pottery
7 Spot is a 420sq.ft ceramic studio located in Islington Mill, Salford.
We run handbuilding and throwing courses, and offer studio memberships.
We currently have 16 members from all walks of life who either work as artists or enjoy ceramics as a hobby. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive educational environment for people of all ability levels and experience. We believe in the benefits of clay as a therapeutic tool for everyone, whether as a personal practice or professional endeavour.
The minimum requirement to be considered for membership is that you have completed at least a 6 week course, whether at 7 Spot Pottery or elsewhere. We feel strongly that ceramics should be accessible to as many people as possible and do not require that you have formal education in ceramics to be able to join us!
Membership includes storage space, 40 litres of kiln space per month, access to house glazes and equipment, and 24hr key holder access to the studio.
Our studio equipment includes 2 toploading kilns, an extruder, a slab roller and 7 pottery wheels. Access to basic stoneware glazes & stoneware clay is also available.
We can be found at this address (links to Google Maps):
Parking & access:
Our site does not have private parking facilities, however there is plenty of roadside parking available close by on James Street on evenings and weekends. If attending weekday daytimes, we recommend using the 2-hour spaces, on James Street, or next to Co-op on Chapel street, or Cleminson Street Car Park.
The studio is a 10 minute walk from Salford Central train station, or 15 minutes walk from Albert Square.
The studio is located on the first floor of a renovated Victorian mill, so unfortunately we do not currently have lift access. We do hope to get this in the future so that our space can be fully inclusive of people with mobility issues. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Contact details:
7spotpottery@gmail.com
07570415909 (Pascal)
Studio managers & tutors:
Pascal Nichols - manager and tutor
Pascal founded 7 Spot Pottery in 2017, to carry out his own ceramic practice, and to offer ceramics facilities and education to the local community. He is a qualified teacher (Ceramics degree and PGCE Art & Design) and has over 13 years experience of teaching as a freelance practitioner to learners of all ages and abilities.
Pascal's own work references the aesthetic qualities in late medieval pottery of boldly formed functional everyday wares with roughly applied decoration such as faceting, incised and thumbed embellishments.
Eva Elliott - technician and tutor
Eva is a qualified Art & Design teacher (PGCE) with 11 years experience working in colleges and schools, working with learners of all ages. She has a BA Hons degree in Fine Art Sculpture and runs ‘Margo’, her ceramic jewellery brand, alongside support work in schools.
She has a wide range of skills from her time spent teaching GCSE Art, but spends most of her free time making delicate porcelain jewellery and coloured clay homewares. She runs regular one-day ceramic workshops for Plant Shop Manchester, based in Stockport Old Town, ranging from handbuilding, jewellery and decorative ceramic wall hangings.
Eva is a versatile and flexible practitioner and is always up for new challenges, practically and creatively. In Eva’s workshops you can expect a chatty, relaxed environment where all learners are actively included and supported to make the best of their potential. She is a pro at making people feel at ease and differentiating the learning so that everyone understands and doesn’t feel intimidated.
Meg Beamish - technician and tutor
Meg Beamish is a potter working and living in Bristol, UK. She graduated from the Ceramics degree at Cardiff School of Art and Design in 2017 and went on to work part time for the potter Jeremy Steward at Wobage Workshops in Herefordshire. Since then, Meg has moved to Manchester to begin working for 7 Spot Pottery and will be developing her practice in the North West.
Meg produces simple tableware alongside larger more decorative pots. She draws inspiration from British studio pottery traditions and allows the making process to be evident in the work. Use of slips and oxides are dynamic and purposeful and are often used to highlight the playful nature and movement of the creative process.
Sheenie O'Connor - technician and tutor
Sheenie has over 10 years experience of ceramic practice, specialising in the potters wheel. She studied BA(hons) in History of Art, and went on to complete the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland’s renowned Ceramics Skills and Design Course in 2018.
Sheenie works as studio technician and throwing tutor at 7 Spot, offering private tuition at beginner and intermediate level, and teaching scheduled courses.
"Always present in my work are the eclectic visual influences of my art historical training. The influences for form and function stem from the opulence of the Netherlandish vanitas paintings of the 16th and 17th century. The new imports of exotic tea and flora called for the ingenuity of the craftsman of the age to create luxury objects, for new purposes, for consumption of a burgeoning merchant class. As much as we have changed, we remain constant in our love for tea and flowers. The imagery of the past is alluring and decadent, and I aim to revitalise this zeitgeist for luxury."
