Welcome to Sam Payne Ceramics
Hand-built creatures, full of character and calm.
Some with Humour some with Depth.
Some to make you Smile, some just to Reflect.
Each piece begins with observation rather than story. A pause. Aposture. An expression caught mid-thought. I’m interested in character more than perfection, presence more than polish.
Some pieces are playful, some quieter.
All of them are made to feel alive — not as ornaments, but as small companions in everyday life.
Alongside familiar animals like hares and foxes are smaller, often overlooked creatures — the ones at the edges of things.
There is a slight awkwardness to them, sitting outside of narrative or abstraction, simply existing whether they are noticed or not.
These animals are for people who notice things.
Who find something in small details.
Who are drawn to objects with warmth, humour, and a bit of depth beneath the surface.
My work is shaped in clay by hand, fired by chance, and finished by instinct.
No two are ever the same. That difference matters.
In clay I don’t just shape a thing,
I catch the moods the storms might bring.
A badger’s hush, a fox’s dance,
a squirrel’s fleeting, moonlit glance.Not objects, no — but pieces, small,
of whispers, storms, and nights that call.
My hands know stories, secret, free…
long before my head knows me.People’s Choice Award Winner 2024 / 2025
Sponsored by Scarva Pottery Supplies
