Susie Watson Designs Hand Painted Pottery from Sri Lanka

We’ve a little update on our team working in Sri Lanka, Susie kindly brought these photos back with her from her recent trip.

The factory was started in 1968, and it is still a family owned business. Some workers have been there over 30 years, with grown up children working alongside their parents.

Many of the techniques employed have not been used for many years, and when Susie’s business came along, some skills had to be reintroduced and re learnt.

The staff are incredibly skilled decorative painters; Duleeka is the paint making girl who mixes and creates the new paints, spots are dropped on by hand, bands are drawn with paintbrushes. Priya apparently can paint the bands with her eyes shut! And all of the designs are placed onto the ceramic by hand cut sponges - Deepika does these and is an expert. Depending what time of year it is they will be painting all sorts of things, Iresha is really good at Christmas designs at the moment.

She is finalising the painting of some of Susie’s new Christmas designs which we think are beautiful and a lovely addition to the Christmas pottery collection.


Susie will have been working on the designs here in the UK before she goes to Sri Lanka, and then when it’s sampled over there, any adjustments can be made.

These will be made now and shipped over to us in time for late autumn delivery and ready to go for Christmas time!