Art in Bloomfield

Donna Bloye Pottery Workshop

Donna Bloye and the art teachers

We were delighted to welcome Donna Bloye, winner of The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024, to Bloomfield to lead a Ceramic workshop focusing on Image transfer Techniques. 

The Great Potter Throw Down is a national competition broadcast annually on Channel 4. It features 12 Potters selected from over 3000 entrants, who compete on weekly challenges. This year, Donna was the very deserving winner, showcasing creativity and excellent technical skill in her ceramic designs.

At Bloomfield, we are especially proud of Donna’s success because she is a past pupil. Donna first fell in love with clay under the tuition of our Art Teacher,  Helen Shearer, a ceramicist who now has her own ceramic studio at Glenarm Castle.  Donna was delighted to see the pot she made at GCSE is still proudly displayed in the Art Department

Donna Bloye helps a pupil with her art

It was an emotional day in the Art Department. Donna was excited to be back for the first time since 1997 to deliver the workshop to A Level pupils.  We were delighted to be joined by Helen Shearer for the event who also taught Head of Department, Emma McFerran.

Donna was very impressed with the talented group she said “the students all represented the school so well and [I] really enjoyed getting to work with them”. Donna lead the students through a range of different image transfer techniques including monoprinting, slip transfer and slip decoration and the students achieved some beautiful outcomes on the day.

Donna is now living and working in Bangor where she has set up her new studio Oto NI Pottery showcasing her original handmade homewares, porcelain jewellery and Fine Art works.

Staff and pupils at Bloomfield wish her every success.

Donna Bloye with her GCSE Pot
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