Nick Robatto

Nick comes from a professional background of Prop Making, after first graduating from Bournemouth Arts institute, where he studied model and prop making. He has had a successful career in the TV and film industry for over 20 years and has his own business supplying props to TV and film production in the UK. He also has a second business manufacturing licensed props from the BBC series Doctor Who, specialising in The Doctor’s Sonic Screwdrivers.

Nick recently appeared on the Channel 4 program The Great Pottery Throwdown. This was a great experience for Nick, and the highlight for him was winning potter of the week for his interpretation of an old fishing trawler.

Nick Robatto lives on the South Wales coast, and his work is heavy influenced by the beautiful coastline in his area and beyond. On the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline local to Nick, you can find all kinds of beaches, from golden sands, to smooth pebbled beaches, to sharp bedrock beaches full of fossils and rock pools. 

In all his pieces he tries to create flowing shapes with movement, curves and contrasting hard edges. Nick’s work is mostly hand-built, using several techniques such as press moulds, slab work and coiling; often these are combined with wheel thrown parts which are then cut, altered or joined to create the piece. He mostly uses grogged stoneware clay to achieve texture; the pieces are then sometimes left unglazed to show the clay in its natural finish. However Nick often partially applies a glaze to contrast with the clay. He uses several methods for applying glaze and often combines pouring, dipping and spraying on the same piece.