Labour and Love

Telling people at parties what he does for a living is still a source of great pride for Mohamed Hamid. "It's one of those weird, quirky things, to have 'potter' on your passport." He is happy to be in a career that is 'green'; anarchic, that involves person-to-person transactions and not fat conglomerations. He appreciates the physicality and immediacy of his metier, which he combines with a Fine Art approach.

Calling himself "a bit of a closet socialist", it's evident that Mohamed feels quite idealistic about his work. He has a utilitarian approach: he keeps prices reasonable so that it is accessible to many, and with his ceramics that speak for themselves aesthetically, he likes to think of himself as the bottom rung of a ladder that could lead people further into the Arts. He also points out that being of durable stoneware, his pieces are oven and dishwasher-proof - thus practical for everyday use, rather than Objets d'Art to be left to gather dust on a pedestal.

Mohamed professes a great love for his chosen profession, which doesn't mean to say that it's al come easy; he stresses that he's had to struggle and work long hours, and sometimes the work is back-breaking. But with such resonant designs as the finished product, and having exhibited at the Chelsea Crafts Fair four times, being a member of the Craft Potters' Association, the Society of Designer Craftsmen and the Guild of Sussex Craftsmen as well a landing an elusive Crafts Council Grant and still maintaining his personal integrity, you could say that all the effort has been worth it. And who else can say, "Basically, I like my work so much that I want to be doing it seven days a week".