An Art To It

Ceramicists never really retire, but they are allowed to indulge in a sabbatical. In this episode of An Art to It, I chat to Lucy Burley, whose beautifully distinctive ceramic bottles and vessels have been a much-loved part of my gallery https://thebyregallery.co.uk/ for ten years.
In our very lively chat Lucy reflects on her creative path, from a first life in London as a tri-lingual secretary and then working in television production to discovering painting classes, art school, and eventually clay. She talks about developing her now instantly recognisable style, inspired in part by Giorgio Morandi, and explains how she built a ceramic practice rooted in harmony of form, colour and use.
We also discuss what it means to sustain a creative business over decades: learning as you go, building gallery relationships before the internet made everything visible, managing health challenges, and knowing when it's time to step back and reassess. Lucy shares why 2026 has become a "mini gap year" or sabbatical for her - certainly not retirement, but a pause to think, travel, learn, and explore new directions in her work.
This is a very open and honest conversation about longevity, resilience, creative identity, and the delicate balance between making work and making a living. Oh and, as a memorable postscript, Lucy also shares the extraordinary story of the time she ended up in prison in the Indian Ocean.
In this episode:
Lucy's route into ceramics via painting and art school

Leaving television and finding a more creative path

Developing a distinctive style and glaze palette

The influence of Giorgio Morandi on her work

Building a ceramic career before Instagram and websites

Why she chose not to do large craft fairs

Teaching ceramics and why she eventually had to stop

Living and working with Lyme disease

The decision to take a sabbatical from full-time potting

What success means at different stages of a creative life

The "fine art of balance" in a creative business

And the unforgettable story of a spell in jail in the Andaman Islands

 
Lucy talks about some of the fellow creatives and businesses who have supported or inspired her:
 
Charles Gladstone: https://gladstonehellen.co.uk/@hawardenestate and @gladstone_hellen
Scilly flowers: https://www.scillyflowers.co.uk/@scillyflowers
Fiona Findlay: @findlayfiona
Thom Hudson:  @thom_hudson
Lucy Nicolls: @lucydorothyart
Kyra Cane @kyra.cane

Freedom of choice and taking up all opportunities are just two of the topics I chat about with visual artist Laura Menzies in episode 52 of An Art to It. 
From a multidisciplinary arts degree and early love of dance to developing a distinctive painting practice in Cornwall, Laura shares her creative business journey; and reveals how studying, teaching and later completing an MA in Fine Art helped her refine her artistic voice. 
We also discuss the reality of building a creative business: learning the business side on the job, approaching and working with galleries, and the inventive collaborations that have helped Laura reach new audiences, including projects with Celtic & Co https://www.celticandco.com/  and Neptune https://www.neptune.com/. 
Laura speaks openly about growing in confidence, learning to market herself in ways that feel aligned, and the value of staying open, flexible and resilient in a creative career.
Topics covered
Laura's early creative life and multidisciplinary arts degree

Why visual art, rather than performance, became her focus

Moving to Cornwall and the draw of the coast and creative community

How her painting practice developed during and after her MA at Falmouth

Landscape, memory, movement and "visual poetry" in her work

Learning the business side of being an artist

Building confidence in promoting and talking about her work

Collaborating with Celtic & Co on a range of clothes using her painting 

Using books, branding and beautifully styled imagery as part of her business

Growing into a more entrepreneurial mindset

Her thoughts on success, freedom and creative choice

Advice on resilience, flexibility and running a successful creative business

 
You can see Laura's work at https://www.lauramenzies.co.uk/ and on instagram she is @lauramenziesart

Exhibiting - and wearing - a maker's work for a decade is definitely something worth celebrating. This week I'm chatting with Cornish jeweller Lucy Spink, a Byre Gallery regular for ten years since I first discovered her work thanks to two clients who were wearing her jewellery; surely the best kind of introduction. Since then I've got a considerable collection of her work myself - as have many of the gallery's clients.
In our lovely chat we talk about how the jewellery world has shifted over the last decade, the eye-watering rise in metal prices, Lucy's love of unusual stones, and the way photography, texture and storytelling all weave through her practice. Lucy also shares the real behind-the-scenes of creative life: fairs, imposter syndrome, the juggle of life, dogs and studio time… and why residencies can be pure creative gold.
We chat about:
How I first discovered Lucy's work a customer-styling recommendation!

How the jewellery market has changed: trends, saturation, and shifting tastes

Why unusual gemstones sparked a new direction

Metal prices rising fast - and what makers may do next

Lucy's photography background and why it helps her in her practice  

The quiet power of "back story" in a creative practice (nothing is wasted)

The reality of fairs: visibility, energy, and "bearing your soul"

The role galleries still play, and how online selling has changed things

The art to running a creative business: persistence, hope, and adapting

 
You can see Lucy's work @lucyspinkjewllery and www. lucyspinkjewellery.co.uk

Word play and the serenity of printing are under discussion in this episode of An Art to It, when I'm joined by artist and maker Megan Fatharly.  An exciting talent, Meg has won a deserved reputation  - and fan base - for her witty and distinctive embossed metal work. 
In a lively and honest chat we talk about Meg's relationship with place (Scottish beginnings, Cornwall now), her diagnosis of ADHD in her late twenties, and how art-making became both a way to process the world and a "capsule of process" she could return to when things felt too much.
Meg shares the behind-the-scenes truth of building a creative business: the push-pull between play and commercial demand, the exhaustion of systems and delegation, the emotional reality of visibility, and why success can feel strangely rigid when your work becomes known for "one thing".
We also discuss taking part in the trade show Top Drawer, the difference between that and a market, how audiences connect with the person behind the work, and a line that Meg wrote in her blog about showing her work at Top Drawer that stood out for me: "paying attention to where the work naturally wants to go, rather than where I think it should go to be more easily understood." I asked how that fits in with being an entrepreneur
We chat about:
The pull of geography and "sense of place" in creative identity

ADHD, hyper-fixation, and the relief of processes that slow the mind down

Meg's love of printmaking

Poetry, collage and using words to anchor ambiguity

When your art becomes a business: contracts, VAT, systems and structure

The tension between exploring new work and "will it sell?" mentality

Visibility and boundaries: when people want to meet the maker

 
You can see Meg's work at https://meganfatharly.com/ and @printcessmeg
 
Meg very much admires: The Fabled Thread
Website: https://www.thefabledthread.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefabledthread
 
Meg worked alongside the Institute of Imagination facilitating workshops. 
Website: https://www.instituteofimagination.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instituteofimagination
 
Meg took part in Top Drawer with Cornwall Shop Small and Creative Kernow Associates
Website: https://www.cornwallshopsmall.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cornwallshopsmall
 
Website: https://associates.creativekernow.org.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativekernowassociates
 
John was one of Meg's tutors during foundation and degree, and his open-access print studio remains an invaluable creative space in Cornwall.
Website: https://www.johnhowardprintstudios.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnhowardprint

Celebrating 20 years as a beacon of creative excellence in jewellery, I'm delighted to be joined this week by Vicky Sewart, founder of Victoria Sewart Contemporary Jewellery Gallery in Plymouth, Devon. 
In a lovely chat with Vicky we talk about what's changed in the jewellery world, and why, with a very clear vision of what she wanted her gallery to be, she "stuck to her guns" through recessions and retail shifts. 
Vicky also shares how teaching has become a huge part of her creative life, the reality of navigating breast cancer just two years into opening the gallery, and why she's now embracing a fresh "next chapter" with mentoring and renewed energy.
What we cover:
How the contemporary jewellery landscape has changed over 20 years

Why Vicky chose "gallery" over "shop" -  and what that means in practice

Sticking to a clear vision (even when the market pushes you mainstream)

The joy of teaching design-led jewellery

Whether you need university to become a jeweller today

The role galleries still play in a world of Instagram selling

What Vicky wants next: lifestyle business, career business… or something she can eventually sell?

You can see the gallery at https://victoriasewart.com/ and on instagram @victoria_sewart_gallery 
Vicky talked about the work of one of her gallery team, Rachel Darbourne whose work you can see @racheldarbourne, also part of the amazing team at the Gallery is @valmuddymanjewellery @kathleen.ashcroft.jewellery and @donna.burns.jewellery 
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