The Leach Pottery is showcasing a compelling body of work by emerging potter Ellie Woods in a new online exhibition.
Ellie Woods: Wood-Fired Pots — From New Zealand to Cornwall brings together work created during Ellie’s residency in New Zealand alongside pots fired more recently in Cornwall at the Leach Pottery, where she works as a studio potter. The exhibition reflects her ongoing exploration of the relationship between clay, function, and the transformative effects of wood-firing.
The majority of the New Zealand pieces were fired in the renowned Driving Creek Phoenix kiln, including works from a final experimental firing in which the process was deliberately slowed to enhance surface richness and texture. A smaller selection was produced in an anagama kiln in Hawke’s Bay, further varying the tonal and structural qualities of the collection.
Transporting her New Zealand pots back to the UK in her suitcase, Woods spent several months working alongside them in her studio. Through this process, she developed a responsive series of ‘reflections’, absorbing and reinterpreting the forms and surfaces of the earlier works. Created using a variety of clays throughout 2025, these pieces were subsequently wood-fired in Cornwall in collaboration with John Mackenzie.
Ellie Woods
“In New Zealand, I worked in a more considered way because I had the time to explore,” she explained. “I dug and used my own clay, working with darker deposits from Driving Creek and a light clay from the other side of the Coromandel Peninsula. The resulting pots embody these clays and how they behave when thrown and altered.”
Since 2022, Woods has been investigating the spontaneous surfaces, colours, and effects produced through wood-firing. Her 2025 residency at Driving Creek Pottery — originally visited by Bernard Leach and now home to former Leach Potter Callum Trudgeon — marked a significant development in her practice. During this time, she worked using both a traditional Leach kick wheel and one designed by Barry Brickell.
Woods will soon begin maternity leave, with the Leach Pottery looking forward to welcoming her back in 2027. She graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a fine art degree in 2018, began her apprenticeship at the Leach Pottery in 2021, and joined the studio as a production potter in 2024.
This exhibition is presented exclusively online, until 3rd May, and all works will are available for purchase from here.
Refurbishment programme
Alongside this online exhibition programme, the Leach Pottery is currently undertaking an ambitious programme of museum refurbishment, designed to enhance visitor experience and expand its capacity to present ceramics in new and engaging ways. The redevelopment will preserve the historic character of the site while introducing improved interpretation, accessibility, and environmental conditions for the collection.
Central to the refurbishment is the creation of new exhibition spaces that will enable the Leach Pottery to present a broader range of historic and contemporary ceramics. These spaces will support an expanded programme of exhibitions, offering deeper insight into the legacy of studio pottery while providing a dynamic platform for emerging and established makers alike.
