About Bristol Pottery:
Bristol Pottery is a one man shop making handcrafted, one of a kind, functional, stoneware pottery for everyday use.  My name is Fred Gregory, and I have been making pots for about 35 years.  The vast majority of my work is made on the wheel, but I also do some slab and coil pots, as well as, some textural sculptures. 
 When I first started making pots, I fell in love with the process.   I just couldn't get enough.  I practiced at the wheel until my hands were raw from the sand and grog in the clay, and then I practiced some more.  When I wasn't making pots, I was reading about them, going to museums, and visiting the studios of other potters.  The pots I was making at the time were not very good, but I was learning and enjoying the journey.  That learning continues every time I touch the clay!
 
As I made more and more pots, the question was, what to do with them?  I gave them away, or they sat out onthe kitchen counter; occasionally I would use one.  In my interest to learn more, I started visiting other potters, buying a bowl here and a mug there.  This gave me the  opportunity to see, touch, and use pots made by other potters.  As my family and I started using these handmade pots (dishes) made by a variety of people, we started to become attached to them.  Something special was going on.  We each had a favorite plate, bowl, and/or mug.  Somehow, using these handmade dishes in our every day lives, made our lives richer.  Through use, I began to better understand the connection between form and function, and the role that "process" played in the finished piece.  In a sense, the pots "spoke" to me.  Each use became the continuation of a conversation with the pots, their makers, and the historical traditions they suggested.  A relationship, that continues to delight my family and I each day!

Here are some pots from the last firing.