Peter Arscott

Peter Arscott is a painter and ceramicist. Born in Lima, Peru, he came to school in England at the age of thirteen. After studying at Bristol University, he moved to Barcelona, where he taught and exhibited in both solo and group shows. In 1983 he relocated to London, working as a Blue Badge Guide while continuing to exhibit widely, including several times at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Peter now works from his studio in Ledbury and is a founder and director of the Ledbury Poetry Festival.

Peter creates his striking ceramic pieces using grogged porcelain or stoneware, fired to nearly thirteen hundred degrees. Once fired, he paints each form with brush marks, patterns, drips and smudges, ensuring every piece is entirely unique.

“In music, especially in jazz, syncopation involves a variety of rhythms that are in some way unexpected, making a tune off‑beat. Similarly, some of my pieces have a singular, lop‑sided stance; improvisation takes place either in cutting out the rolled clay shapes, or later when painting oxides onto their surfaces.”