1. Clarice Cliff
Ceramicist

2. Clarice Cliff was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1899 and started working at the age of 13.
Clarice Cliff's fame and success in the 1930s are hard to fully appreciate now, but at that time there was no such thing as 'career women'. The publicity she received in the national press was unprecedented.

3. By the First World War (1916), she moved to the AJ Wilkinson's pottery factory. Clarice was given her own studio. The famous 'Bizarre' wares launched 1927. 

4. In 1928 Clarice produced a simple, hand painted pattern of Crocus flowers in orange, blue and purple, each flower being constructed with confident upward strokes.
Then green leaves were added by holding the piece upside down and painting thin lines amongst the flowers. Being made from the individual brushstrokes, the Crocus pattern was clearly completely hand-painted, and the vibrant colours instantly attracted large sales

5. These angular and geometric designs are described as
Trees & House (Alpine) orange colourway Teapot set in conical shape Consisting of Teapot - Creamer and Sugar. Fantasque Bizarre by Clarice Cliff, Handpainted, Newport Pottery, England.
'Ravel' shows an abstract, cubist pattern on Conical shape coffee pot, sugar and cream, 1930.
These angular and geometric designs are described as
‘Art Deco’ style.

6. Cliff's patterns are highly stylised and interpreted in strong colours, such as the 1933 Honolulu pattern.
The trees are enamelled in red (coral) orange and yellow. Cliff produced a colourway variation on this by simply changing the trees to shades of blue and pink, and this was then called Rudyard after a local Staffordshire beauty spot.

7. During the War
During World War II ( ) only plain white pottery (utility ware) was permitted under wartime regulations, so Cliff assisted with management of the pottery but was not able to continue design work.
Clarice Cliff (right) with visitors to Newport Pottey in 1933

8. Clarice Cliff is, today, regarded as one of the most influential ceramics artists of the 20th Century and her work is collected, valued and admired the World over.

9. Examples of Art Deco Style

10. To summarise
Clarice Cliff was famous in the 1930’s for her Art Deco style ceramics. (Pottery)
Her ranges (e.g. ‘Bizarre’, ‘Honolulu’, ‘Crocuses’) were extremely popular and she was the first really famous female designer in Britain.
She stopped production due to wartime restrictions which meant only white pottery could be produced.