Welcoming Nicola Mortimer’s Ceramics into our permanent Collection
We’re honoured to share that three beautiful ceramic pieces by the late Bristol artist Nicola Mortimer have recently been loaned to our permanent collection. Nicola’s family have kindly entrusted us with these works, allowing us to celebrate her remarkable creative legacy and ensure her art continues to be enjoyed for years to come.
Nicola spent most of her life in Bristol, a city that shaped her artistic journey. After training in interior design and later qualifying as a teacher, she discovered her true passion in clay. Ceramics became the heart of her creative life, a practice she pursued for decades at the Bristol School of Art under the guidance of Peter Bridgens and Oliver Kent, and in her much-loved home studio.
From the 1970s onwards, Nicola shared her enthusiasm for making with others, teaching adults at the Bristol Folk House and inspiring younger students at Colston Girls’ School (now Montpellier High School). Her students still remember her gentle encouragement and the quiet joy she took in helping others explore their creativity.
Nicola’s work evolved over the years; from the large, organic earthenware sculptures of the 1970s and 1980s, which echoed natural forms like pebbles and seed pods, to her later porcelain jugs alive with colour and geometric patterning, often inspired by Kilim designs.
Nicola passed away in 2025. Her family have kindly entrusted some of her work to us, and we are proud to share her ceramics and celebrate her legacy. Her pieces now live on in our care, and we are honoured to help tell her story.
If you’re interested in seeing Nichola Mortimer’s work and over 500 pieces of other British Studio Ceramics, join curator Tanya Martin on a tour around The Stradling Collection.
