Cara Guthrie

Coffee and Catch Up with Ceramicist, Cara Guthrie

Cara has been a resident at Rosemains Steading for a few months, but is sadly moving on as she’s relocating further north. We’ve decided to sit down with a cup of coffee and find out a bit more about her thriving business before she heads off.

Tell us your story of how you got to where you are today as you’ve worked in London, Stockholm, rural Denmark and the Lake District.

I was working in exhibition design in London but feeling a real creative itch to make. I signed up to an evening pottery class and it was like a lightning bolt moment - THIS was the thing I loved! Fast forward 8 months and my partner and I moved to Stockholm. I managed to find a studio to share with a much more experienced Swedish potter and realised I had a long way to go before I could make any kind of living from pottery. I started applying for apprenticeships and was lucky enough to be accepted by KH Wurtz pottery in Denmark where I undertook a short intensive apprenticeship for three months. It was the first time I'd experienced production pottery, throwing many of the same form over the course of a day and gave me the skills to start on my own practice. 

I then took up an apprenticeship with William Plumptre in Cumbria for a year (in tandem with my own practice), then moved to Glasgow to work for Jono Smart and became a full time studio potter around 5 years ago. 

What influences your style?
My style isn’t a conscious thing. I definitely have a firm idea of aesthetic and what I like. I suppose as I worked with two very different styles in the past, it has given me the freedom to work as I please rather than restrict me. I'm influenced by lots of things — art, architecture, wild places, seascapes, rocks and shells - but in terms of potters I continue to be in awe of, Lucie Rie and Hans Coper are continually inspiring. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

If I have a big commission, I aim to throw around 50 pieces in a day. I also need to maintain kiln firings, glazing pots and packing orders. I listen to a lot of music and podcasts whilst I work. Maria Somerville's Early Bird show and the Blindboy Podcast keep me in good company. 

How can we get hold of your work?
I have been working with Toast for about 5 years now, making new forms for them each year. I mostly wholesale to restaurants and shops. I'm very excited to be stocking soon at Bard, a new gallery for Scottish craft in Leith. Occasionally, I do flash sales on my Instagram.

What attracted you to Rosemains?
It was actually my Dad who found Rosemains and once I started to look into it further and
visited, I knew I wanted to be part of the amazing community there. I’m very sad to be
leaving.

Party Trick?
I like doing different accents, despite being terrible at learning languages. A Yorkshire or Glaswegian accent are favourites and I'm getting to practice them a lot now my son is old enough to read to. That's about as close to a party as I'm getting at the moment!

For more information on Cara, please visit her website.