David Heminsley was born in Birmingham in 1927 and studied art there.
He moved about throughout the UK - studying under Harry Davis of Crowan Pottery in Cornwall and later George Cook in the Lake District at Ambleside Pottery. For several years he was employed as a Senior Lecturer and was the Head of the School of Ceramics at Belfast (Ulster) College of Art (1855 - 1973).
Heminsley moved to Balbirnie, Fife in Scotland. He resided and set up his workshop there, and established his own pottery from 1973 - 1993.
In Fife, he opened his open pottery studio and was a founder member of the Scottish Potters Association (1974).
He demonstrated at workshops, contributed to countless exhibitions, was generous in sharing his expertise, ranging from glaze recipes to tool-making, His own work featured restrained glazes and colour; his pots were always simple classic designs - and there was never anything showy or brash about each piece. However, small many of Hemingsley's pots were - they certainly reveal his impeccable design skills and they always have a timeless quality.
Serious illness curtained his creativity in later years - and for the last 20 years of his life, he lived in Edinburgh where he taught yoga and continued with his interests in pottery.
His daughter is the well-known Scottish artist, Claire Heminsley
There are a couple of examples of his work in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool and the Aberdeen Museum and Art Gallery.
This bijoux little pot by Heminsley is certainly a most attractive one - and very tactile with a smooth cream coloured glaze and hand-painted abstract forms all around. It has a strong classic Japanese feel to the design.
Dimensions: 7.5 cm in diameter and 6 cm in height. It has his studio mark on the base, as photographed.
Please also see my fabulous large ceramic lamp and larger vase by David in my store - it is a fabulous piece of vintage Scottish Studio Pottery.