Meet our artisans

Hi my name is Lou, and I make Peaki Pots!

Peaki Pots are useful and unique ceramic gifts that feature friendly little animals. They patiently sit and wait in their dish or holder, always ready to look after treats, nibbles, candles, soap or trinkets for you, your friends, your relatives or a special pet. 

Having attended ceramic courses for a couple of years, Peaki Pots were initially inspired by making a little treat bowl for my cocker spaniel ‘Peach’, who we affectionately call ‘Miss Peaki’. With her cheeky mini lookalike in the centre of the bowl, Miss Peaki’s pot became very popular with everyone who saw it and I began to make a range of dogs and other animals for family and friends. As their popularity grew, I dedicated a clay room for pot making at my home in the High Peak and thus, the name for my little industry of ‘Peaki Pots’ naturally fell into place!

As I carefully hand craft each Peaki Pot, I can create them to look like a particular adored pet or any other animal you’d love to have as a Peaki Pot buddy. Each pot is made from hardwearing and versatile stoneware clay that goes through a rigorous making process. I start by rolling out and shaping the raw wet clay to form a set of rough bowls. Whilst the clay bowls begin to slowly dry, I create a menagerie of appealing animals, destined to become little Peaki Pot characters. Once the clay pots have become ‘leather hard’ (less wet and slightly stiff), I refine individual bowl details and add a unique little animal. Each pot with its new companion is then carefully air dried and monitored over a few days to ensure the pots dry evenly. 

When fully dry the clay goes from brown to light grey and I give each one further refinement with a light sanding if needed before they undergo a first 24 hour ‘bisque’ firing in the kiln. Once cooled, I use specialist glazes to colour the hardened clay pots and paint features on the little animals whose cheeky personalities now start to delightfully emerge. The glazed pots then return to the kiln for a second firing at a higher temperature. This completes the vitrification process which means your Peaki Pot is dishwasher, microwave, food and oven safe and, it will be very happy to go anywhere inside your home or outside in the garden, wherever it is needed!

For further information visit Peaki Pots Instagram page.

Life in pencil began at an early age for Shaun, he always wanted to be an artist, sketching whenever he could. As an established British artist, Shaun, based in West Yorkshire has clients worldwide. Specialising in highly detailed wildlife and pet portraiture, hand drawn with the humble pencil. He manages to bring to life a truly realistic likeness that captures the character and personality of all his furry and feathered friends.

With a broad creative style and ability to work in different mediums, both by hand and digitally, for Shaun “everything always starts with a pencil”. “I love the ‘hard & black’ (HB) pencil, there are so many subtle differences, fine layers and detail that can be achieved with each stroke.”

Having been a professional artist and creative for more than 30 years, his passion for illustrating took off at school often encouraged by teachers who saw his potential, this continued throughout a varied career from poster art to greeting cards, Designer and illustrator of children’s books, cute plush toys, 3-dimensional characters, to Creative Head and Art Director of Creative Studios across the UK.

You can keep up to date with Shaun's work on Instagram, Facebook or his website.