About

 

 

I’m Emily Whitley founder of Pipistrelle Pottery based in Hampshire, England. 

 

My art education has been very diverse since studying ceramics at Bedales School with the incredible sculptor Andy Cheese, I have done courses at Vinegar Hill Pottery, 318 Ceramics, Milton Keynes Art Centre and am currently studying sculpture at West Street Potters. I was also an In production Member of the Turning Earth Studios in London prior to moving to Farnham.

 

I love to create new things, which is why you will see that very few of my products are reproduced a second time. They were of the moment and that gives each of them a unique character that I couldn't and wouldn't want to reproduce. I see my collections as families. Collections of shapes and sizes that have a common theme that unites them.   

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Why Pipistrelle? 

 

I work part-time as an ecologist (surveying protected species including bats, amphibians, reptiles, Badgers and Dormice).

 

The name Pipistrelle Pottery came from spending my days writing the word “Pipistrelle” dozens of times in reports at work as there are three species of bats in the UK that share this name: Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Nathusius' Pipistrelle Pipistrelle nathusii. These species would also be shortened to C.Pip, S.Pip and N.Pip which is why my logo is Pip.