Keith Brymer Jones | |
|---|---|
 Brymer Jones on a wheel at Clay Gulgong 2016, Gulgong, New South Wales | |
| Born | 3 June 1965 |
| Occupation(s) | Potter, ceramic designer |
| Notable work | The Great Pottery Throw Down |
| Partner | Marj Hogarth |
| Website | www |
Keith Brymer Jones (born 3 June 1965) [1] [ citation needed ] is a British potter and ceramic designer who produces homeware with retro lettering and punk motifs. He is an expert judge on Channel 4 television programme The Great Pottery Throw Down.
Brymer Jones was born in Finchley, London. [2] He describes his father as a "very, very sporty" tennis player. [3] His mother was an alcoholic who died at age 55 in 1992. [3] At eighteen months old, Brymer Jones developed a serious case of gastroenteritis. [2]
Brymer Jones 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, [2] and it was one of the first times a teacher complimented his work. [3]
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. [3] Brymer Jones then began his brief stint as lead singer for the group.
Brymer Jones soon left the band and worked for two men in a Watford pottery studio. [2] He would wake up at 5am and walk two and a half hours to his job, where he spent ten hours preparing clay. [2] Brymer Jones then became an apprentice at Harefield Pottery in London. This is where he learned to make modern ceramics. [4] 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; [4] 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. [5]
Brymer Jones is head of design for MAKE International. [6]
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. [7] He 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.
In 2019, Brymer Jones was made an honorary graduate at the University of Staffordshire. [6] [2]
Brymer Jones has a studio in Whitstable, Kent, where he lives with his partner, actor Marj Hogarth. [6] [8]