Florence St George’s love of ceramics started whilst studying for her BA in Art History at Bristol. It wasn’t until she experienced post-natal depression in 2013 that she transitioned from theory to practice, and began working with ceramics.
She found the process of throwing and sculpting clay both therapeutic and an effective way of channeling her creative urges. The resulting work shows her technical talent, as well as her ability to harness raw emotion into beautiful, sculptural ceramics.
Florence lives in the Bahamas with her husband and two children, where she has a studio. Florence is Patron of the Sheltered Workshop at the Beacon School, which specializes in supporting special needs children who use sculpture as a means of expressing themselves.
There, they begin by sourcing clay in the local forests. They are then taught painting and pottery wheel skills, using the soil to produce functional terracotta works - providing a unique outlet for expression for the children.
"Seven years ago, my pottery journey began, initially to try and help overcome post-natal depression. Soon the clay took hold in a way I’d never imagined possible - the healing, the flow, the energy it gave me was so unexpected. Making ceramics became a passion and a new calling.”
Inspired by the power of pottery and its healing, meditative abilities, Florence feels happiest in her studio. She thoroughly enjoys soaking up all aspects of the experience, including both the crafting and design elements. The joy of tactile manipulation of earthy clay has helped her to remain grounded and calm whilst navigating life’s everyday challenges, and over the years, Florence has experienced a growing yearning desire to share her talent on a broader spectrum.
As fate would have it, a hand injury earlier this year rendered Florence unable to carry out many of the crucial tactile elements required in the pottery process. This forced her to explore ways in which she could continue to pursue her passion - despite being unable to carry out the crucial physical aspects. Florence came to the realization that in her craft, the two key components of both making and designing don’t need to be mutually exclusive - each supports the other. Florence was relieved to find balance in expressing her creative forces through design - ensuring she did not feel redundant.
Natural progression has led to the opportunity for Florence to fulfill her dream of broadening her spectrum and sharing her talent with a wider audience, and this Autumn Florence will be launching a collection designed by Florence and made in Portugal, where she has been lucky enough to get a fascinating insight into the work of many incredible artisans. The team at Florence St George makes every effort to source and develop ecological products. Working with partners to provide sustainable
packaging made from fully recyclable and appropriate components and are continually searching for improved methods and materials. A zero-waste policy is always adhered to and where possible, returned products are always reused or recycled.
