Dove Love Ceramics

My name is Samantha Hayes.  I qualified with a degree in ceramics from Bath Spa University College in 1994. As a student I won a national competition to design for Whittard’s of Chelsea and my winning design was sold in outlets across the country.  I have exhibited and sold my work in exclusive galleries in London, across the UK and Europe.

I have been creating pieces (ceramics and paintings) for nearly 30 years and several years ago established my own successful ceramic business.  Dove Love Ceramics supplies bespoke pieces for the National Trust, St Fagans National Museum of History, and shops and galleries across the UK. I also sell my hand-made ceramics across the globe via digital platforms.

I work from my beautiful studio in the tranquil surroundings of Coed Hills Rural Artspace in South Wales where I also hold pottery classes. At the Dove Love studio I make striking and unique pieces on the potter’s wheel or with slabs of clay using white earthenware and finishing them with hand decorated slips and glazes.  My designs are inspired by the beautiful Welsh countryside all around me, choosing subjects which will bring a piece of the countryside into your home, such as cottages and cottage garden flowers.  Every day at my studio I feed the many different birds from my window bird feeder and have taken these elegant creatures onto my pots to use as lid handles.  My most common feedback from customers is ‘it makes me smile every time I use it!’