Meet the winner of The Great Pottery Throw Down 2022
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Over 10 episodes and 20 challenges, AJ Simpson saw off 11 other contestants to be named the winner of this year’s competition by judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller. Competing alongside fellow finalists Anna McGurn and Christine Cherry, Simpson – the youngest contestant in the series – created a complex garden totem to scoop the final prize, in the episode aired last night. We asked them how it all happened.
AJ Simpson on the Great Pottery Thrown Down with a garden totem
Congratulations! What was it like competing in The Great Pottery Throw Down?
It was brilliant – I can’t say a bad thing about it. I met so many wonderful people I wouldn’t ordinarily have met. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and has given me more confidence as a potter and a person. I won’t ever forget it.
What was your favourite challenge on the show?
Probably the firing for the self sculpture week – that was really fun, and I’d love to do it again. I also look back at gnome week very fondly – a lot of gnome jokes were cracked on set.
What new skills have you picked up since?
Since the show my throwing and handbuilding skills have improved. I can now do different firings, like raku, which I hadn’t done before. And I have made much larger pieces.
How did you begin your journey into pottery?
I first tried hand-building at university as part of my course in 3D Design at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. I developed more of a passion for it at evening classes, using the wheels at uni after classes had finished to improve my skills. A pottery trip to Denmark with a few friends was when I realised I wanted to this forever – that was my pottery epiphany. Since then, pottery has become a creative outlet for me – it’s so immediate and you can mould something very quickly into the shapes you have in your head.
What inspires you as an artist?
I am inspired by the possibility of self-expression through what I am making, and also a connection with the planet and home, which is why I like experimenting with natural materials – I find that very grounding and mindful. I really like clean lines and forms, and I would also say that my work is cartoonish and playful.
What's next for you?
I am spending more time in my studio, which is really nice. I am making a lot more of what I want to make, rather than what I am expected to make. I have also been doing some experiments with different rocks, picking them up from when I am around and about exploring.
