A British painter and ceramicist, Michaela Gall is one of our long time collaborators at The Shop Floor Project with past projects covering subjects from Inuits to iconic couples. 

Her ceramic work is produced under the umbrella of Majolica, a form of ceramics originated in Renaissance Italy which uses tin-glazes painted over an opaque white background glaze, with an earthenware body. 

She studied at Chelsea School of Art and L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris where she honed her painterly style which can be seen on her one-off ceramics pieces as well as paintings and prints. 

Michaela creates pieces that are painted within the tradition of Folk Art, documenting various subjects such as historical events, patterns, symbols and people from different cultures.

Her celebrated Painted Portrait series of prints explores various cultural figures throughout history from Queen Elizabeth I to Jimi Hendrix.

The initial idea for her latest collection of plates was greatly inspired by the Hynton Nel exhibition; This plate is what I have to say at Charleston farmhouse earlier this year. This seminal show saw the contemporary South African artist-potter look back on 60 years of practice through the lens of his iconic plates.

Hynton Nel in his old studio  © Hylton Nel, courtesy Stevenson, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Amsterdam; photograph: Marc Barben

It immediately made us think of Michaela Gall who, for many years, has also used the form of plates as a kind of diary; documenting events, travel, history and everyday imagery in glazes on the surfaces of pottery. 

Our wish was for Michaela to create a series of plates celebrating her unique style and cultural interests. It’s a fascinating mixture; from her love of Afghanistan, contemporary events such as the Coronation and the Olympics, pomegranates, road signs, poetry and, of course, the Tudors with Gall’s celebrated Ruff Plates. 

It’s a magical tour of the artist’s viewpoint and a collection we are really proud to showcase.