Paula Armstrong Ceramics
5 Rookery Place, Fenstanton, Huntingdon, PE28 9LZ
paula@parmstrongceramics.co.uk
The tactile pleasure of moulding clay can be incredibly therapeutic, as you disconnect from life’s drama and ground yourself in the moment.
Paula Armstrong discovered the infinite joy of clay aged just 13 as she wiled away many happy hours experimenting in her school’s ceramics studio. Going on to gain a Design Crafts degree, Paula launched her ceramics business from a home studio built by her dad, investing in her first kiln, which she still uses today.
Over the years Paula has had various ‘proper jobs’, working in arts development roles for South Cambs District Council, amongst others, but clay has remained a constant. She launched Paula Armstrong Ceramics in 2014, when daughter Gracie was just one, initially in Willingham, where she taught classes and workshops in hand building with clay. The ceramicist moved to her current spacious premises in a leafy corner of Fenstanton in 2019. Paula’s distinctive one-off sculptures inspired by the natural world have pride of place in the windows. Amongst the most striking are her Potential Inside series; spherical forms which celebrate creation and the potential existing within all living creatures.
Paula offers studio memberships (including two hours a week use, materials and firing), termly courses and in-studio and online workshops. The most popular of these is spectacular Japanese firing method Raku with students thrilled to see their sculptures emerge red hot from the kiln and ignite to create incredible patterns. Corporate events are also a hit either as a mindfulness pursuit or team building opportunity.
Paula sells her ceramics through gallery exhibitions and via her website, where you’ll also find her quirky self-designed potters’ merchandise, from hoodies to aprons.
Passionate about community art, Paula is also director of CIC Northstowe Arts, sharing her infectious love of clay and creativity to an appreciative audience!