CJ Abbey

Born in Glasgow, I left Scotland aged 18 to go to art school; first to Cumbria College of Art, where I studied Textiles, and then Maidstone College of Art to study Fine Art (painting).

After graduating, I worked in fashion for a while before deciding I wanted to teach Art and Design. It was through my years of teaching that my love affair with clay began, but it was a while before I took it up full-time because I had other loves too: renovating old houses and sourcing antiques. 

In 2000, I went back to study at the Inchbald School of Design, where I enrolled on the MA course. I had a successful, and fun, career in London working as an interior designer, before moving back to Kent - where I had felt most at home.