| Keith Brymer Jones | |
|---|---|
 Keith Brymer Jones on wheel at Clay Gulgong 2016 (Triennial ceramics festival in Gulgong, NSW) | |
| Born | (1965-06-03) 3 June 1965 (age 59) Finchley, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Potter, ceramic designer |
| Notable work | The Great Pottery Throw Down |
| Height | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Spouse | Marj Hogarth |
| Website | http://www.keithbrymerjones.com/ |
Keith Brymer Jones (born 3rd June 1965) is a British potter and ceramic designer who produces home-ware with retro lettering and punk motifs. He is an expert judge on Channel 4 television programme The Great Pottery Throw Down.
Early life
Brymer Jones was born in Finchley, London. His father was described as a "very, very sporty" person, who played tennis many times at under 21 clubs. His mother was an alcoholic who died at age 55 in 1992. At eighteen months old, Brymer Jones developed a serious case of gastroenteritis.
Keith has dyslexia, something he was not diagnosed with as a child meaning teachers often ridiculed him. At the age of 11, Brymer Jones made his first pottery object – an owl – in his art class in secondary school. It was then that he knew he wanted to be a potter. He claims his pottery was liked by his art teacher, Mr Mortman, and it was one of the first times a teacher actually complimented his work.
Career
In 1983, Brymer Jones was working at a Tesco, when he was approached by a co worker who said he was in a punk band called The Wigs and needed a lead singer. Brymer Jones then began his brief stunt as lead singer for the group.
Brymer Jones soon left the band and worked for two men in a Watford pottery studio. He would wake up at 5am and walk two and a half hours to his job, where he spent ten hours preparing clay. When Keith passed his driving test, the two men bought him a car as a away to thank him for his work. Keith then became an apprentice at Harefield Pottery in London. This is where he learned to make modern ceramics. He stopped working for them when they relocated to Scotland.
After his apprenticeship, Brymer Jones started out hand-making ceramics for retailers including Conran Group, Habitat, Barneys New York, Monsoon, Laura Ashley and Heal's. He began to develop the Word Range for the first time; he was originally attracted to words because of their shapes, as he is dyslexic. Brymer Jones describes working with clay, shape and form as a natural affinity, as a result of his condition.
Brymer Jones also works as Head of Design for MAKE International. In this role he collaborates with other designers including Jane Foster, Scion Living, Hokolo and Becky Baur. Keith joined MAKE International in 2008 as a Director and Head of Design, setting up a new studio in a converted bakery, in Whitstable, Kent, where he still works today.
In 2015, he debuted as an expert judge alongside Kate Malone on BBC2's The Great Pottery Throw Down where his readiness to shed tears at the contestants' work attracted comment. He has continued his role and remained as judge when the programme transferred to More4 in 2020 and Channel 4 in 2021.
Brymer Jones published his autobiography in 2022: Boy in a China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything.
Personal life
In 2019, Brymer Jones was made an honorary graduate at the University of Staffordshire.
References
- "Keith Brymer JONES - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ Leszkiewicz, Anna (6 February 2022). "Keith Brymer Jones: "My dad couldn't handle emotion. I'll cry over a pot, for God's sake"". New Statesman. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Graham, Jane (29 January 2023). "Keith Brymer Jones: 'I get emotional about pottery'". Big Issue. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "Keith Brymer Jones Contemporary ceramic tableware, mugs and homeware | About Keith". www.keithbrymerjones.com. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- "Youtube". Youtube. Keith Brymer Jones.
- ^ "Keith Brymer Jones - Honorary Graduate - Staffordshire University". www.staffs.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- Tim Dowling (11 November 2015), "The Great Pottery Throw Down review: if your pot doesn't make the judge cry, you aren't trying hard enough", The Guardian
External links
- Keith Brymer Jones – professional website