DISCOVER a new passion at the York Ceramics Fair this month when leading contemporary ceramicists, from the UK and beyond, will be showcasing a stunning selection of their beautifully hand-crafted pieces.

From vibrant to serene, minimal to magical, sculptural to utilitarian, expect to see hundreds of pots of all shapes and sizes – all of which demonstrate the versatility of this popular art form.

This is a rare opportunity to buy beautifully hand-crafted pieces direct from 40 leading contemporary makers, including Jenny Southam, whose beautifully eccentric figures explore her love of gardening as well as her interest in both Staffordshire mantelpiece figures and Etruscan tomb sculptures. Dylan Bowen’s bold expressionistic ceramics capture the spontaneity and energy of how they are made. Lara Scobie’s beautiful ceramics balance composition and form with pattern and bright pops of colour.

York-based Ruth King’s serene pots with their subtle, luminous tones are the result of many years of mastering the art of salt glaze technique.

RAMP ceramics, a creative partnership between Alice Hartford and Rupert Johnstone. The pots are thrown by Roop and decorated by Alice. They have a liking for simple, clean forms which make a good platform for Alice’s decoration.

Yorkshire-based Anna Lambert makes hand-built earthenware ceramics using various techniques including slab-building and painted slips. Anna's ideas reflect an interest in place, exploring narratives relating to farmland, floodwater management, woodlands and the regeneration of orchards. Inspired by new nature writing, she engages with a common language beyond pastoral sentimentality, combining drawing with abstract qualities of pots, their spaces, edges and surfaces.

York Ceramics Fair is on Saturday, November 23, and Sunday, November 24, from 10am to 5pm, at The Hospitium, Museum Gardens, York, YO30 7DR. Running alongside the fair is a discovery programme all about ceramics in collaboration with the Centre of Ceramic Art, with the chance to try your hand. Entry is £5 per person, with under-16s free. For more details, visit yorkceramicsfair.com.