About Cara Turner Ceramics

In the early days of my business, I made mainly 'off the shelf' stock designs for supply to craftshops and galleries throughout Ireland, but over time I have increasingly devoted myself to specially ordered pieces, handmade exactly to my customers' specifications.

I still keep a stock of my old reliable designs in the gallery, suitable for last-minute gifts, but whenever time allows, I recommend that customers place a personal order.

In this way, everyone can have a unique ceramic piece exactly suited to a particular person and occasion.

I have been making ceramic sculptures for as long as I can remember. My parents were also potters, albeit working in a different style, but using the same methods and materials that I do, so I am self taught.

Of course, I always love to meet my customers in person at some time (and if you take a look at my local scenery page, you will see that a trip to South Kerry can be a magical experience in itself), but that is not always possible. So I done my best to make your virtual visit as close as I can to a real trip around my workshop and gallery.

In this age of mass-production and disposability, it's rather rare to receive something that no-one else in the world will ever have! And, of course, if you take good care of it, that unique piece of sculpture, saying so much about you today, could still be around telling your story in hundreds of years time.

So much of our knowledge of human history, the minutiae of the daily lives of ordinary people, is gleaned from the artifacts and heirlooms that have survived, many of these being shards of pottery both functional and ornamental. Make no mistake-there's a lot of profound thought associated with a life in ceramics!

But in the end, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will say to you here what I say to each visitor to my workshop: sit down and have a good look through the pictures. They will give you an idea of the style and range of my work, but do remember that the images, dimensions and prices here are only a guide for your own imagination. Clay is the most wonderfully flexible material; whatever you have in mind, don't be afraid to ask!

So, if you think there is something I can do for you or even if you would just like a little more information, I would love to hear from you.

My Background

I was born in London in 1969, but have lived in Co. Kerry since 1970. Both of my parents were potters, so I had the opportunity to develop an interest in ceramic sculpture at a very early age. I have had a lifelong love of fairytales and their associated imagery, hence the prevailing theme and style of my work.

I was educated at our local National School in Caherdaniel, and then at Midleton College in East Cork. I spent 4 years in Dublin, working for Paula Murphy making Fimo cartoon-jewellery by day, and studying for a B.A. in Spanish and Modern English literature by night at Trinity College.

In 1990, I returned to live in Castlecove, without any terribly clear idea of what I was going to do with the rest of my life. While I was considering the possibilities (!), I set about turning my hobby into a business. Perhaps it is due to this rather unfocused beginning, that almost 20 years later, I still feel that the day may yet dawn when I shall settle down and get a proper job!

Having initially retailed my work through my mother's craftshop in Castlecove village, at the end of 1990 I began to supply other shops and galleries around the country. Now however, my work is only available directly from my workshop outside the village of Castlecove, or from Gallery One, in Cahirciveen (066 9472346), a local crafts co-operative established in 2003 of which I am a member.

These days over 90% of my work is commissioned directly by my customers. I work alone, and entirely by hand, so levels of production are relatively small.