The Sussex Guild members show their skills at Selmeston Village Hall

Among those exhibiting is potter Jonathan Chiswell Jones, of Peelings Manor Barns (www.jcjpottery.co.uk)

“I was born in India and first saw pots being made – disposable tea cups – in Calcutta. As a 12-year-old schoolboy, inspired by an unforgettable art master at my Sussex prep school, I dreamed of becoming a potter, but it wasn’t till 16 years later that I the resolved to follow my heart and make my living through the work of my hands. I gave up teaching English at the same school, left to train at Farnham art school, and then worked for potter Joe Finch in Scotland. Later, I found somewhere to set up my pottery at Drusillas.

“Those early days were spent making reasonably priced and serviceable brown pots. We made them in great numbers. But I was also interested in decorating with a brush, and as time went on began to work in porcelain which was hardwearing and useful and also offered scope for colour.

“Winter was a hard time and few customers. That prompted me to set up my own exhibition with friends from the Guild of Sussex Craftsmen in the late autumn. We used the oak barn by the English Wine Centre and invited everyone we knew. The show was a success. I called it Six Sussex Artists and Craftsmen, and apart from changing my fellow exhibitors and the venue from time to time, 45 years later, the tradition continues. My work of course has changed. Clay is nature’s plastic and allows unlimited scope for invention. I have become fascinated by the ancient Islamic technique of clay paste lustre by which a minute layer of silver or copper can be fused just below the glaze surface to reflect light and create iridescence. This year the show will again be held Selmeston Village Hall which is gives us plenty of space and has the all the facilities we need. I have invited Alison Ellen who designs and makes the most wonderful knitwear using hand-dyed yarns. Louise Bell is well known for her beautiful quilts and wall hangings. Andrew Hauge creates custom made furniture. Linda Connelly makes enamel jewellery, and Lara Sparks completes the half dozen with her embroidered homewares. All are members of The Sussex Guild.”