Meet the Maker

Amy is an artist based in the highlands of Scotland and is part of Carrbridge Studios. Please go to http://www.carrbridgestudios.com to see our online shop.

Amy grew up in the Highlands of Scotland in a very creative family in a wee highland village called Carrbridge. Her mother, Alice Buttress, is a self-taught ceramic artist and sculptress and encouraged Amy’s creative and artistic interests from a young age. Her father, Jeff Buttress, is a landscape and wildlife artist working mainly in watercolours, his love of being outdoors and of observing the natural world has always been a source of inspiration to Amy.

Amy did not become a ceramic artist by following a traditional route that one might expect. Amy graduated from Abertay University of Dundee with a BA Hons in Computer Art in 2008. It was some years after this that Amy decided to become a full time ceramic artist.

Amy learned her skills in ceramics mainly from her mother and then became a member of the Scottish Potters Association where she attended workshops and talks in ceramics. Being part of a wonderful community of ceramic artists in Scotland that were happy to share knowledge and ideas helped increase her love of ceramics.

“Having creativity in my life is massively important to me. Creating art makes me happy and everything I see and experience inspires me and influences my work. I enjoy making work that is beautiful and also tactile, ceramics are meant to be touched. Clay is a wonderful medium to work with as there are literally endless possibilities for what you might create as well as many different techniques to fire and finish work.” – Amy Louise Buttress

All Amy’s artwork is individually handmade and many are one off designs.  Much of her ceramics are Raku fired; this is a process where work is removed from the kiln when the glaze is molten and the hot pots are placed in containers and covered with sawdust, this produces flames and smoke which reacts with the glaze on the pieces. This process is very dramatic and creates very striking colours and patterns which cannot be reproduced so every piece is unique and special.

If you’d like to order a piece of my work please email me at Amyloubuttress@gmail.com.