Ursula's dedication to pottery is probably best illustrated by a story she told me about regretting not going to visit Lucie Rie in her studio when she was invited. Ursula had been wandering around the Royal College of Art many years ago and was trying out some chairs included in a graduation show. These she remarked were as uncomfortable as they looked but as she was sitting there she noticed a petite female laughing at her. This was Lucie Rie, who was laughing because she had tested out the same chairs earlier and came to the same conclusion. They got chatting and Lucie invited Ursula to visit her in Albion Mews the next time she was up in town. Ursula never contacted Lucie because she said she had heard that Lucie made her visitors delicious cakes and she felt that Lucie shouldn't waste time she could spend potting in cake making.

Since Ursula's last exhibition at the Harlequin two years ago, she has been working on new shapes and designs and it is hoped that examples of this work will be available in the exhibition. I say hoped because when I went down to see Ursula at the end of June many pots were awaiting firing and it is always difficult to predict how these will turn out after the final firing process. However it is amazing that someone who trained under William Staite Murray at the RCA in the late 1920's and worked with Michael Cardew over 60 years ago is still wishing to develop her work and experiment. Being a descendent of Josiah Wedgwood may of course have something to do with it.

Ursula will be present at the Private View on 8th September.