Our Story
My creative journey began in early childhood with a passion for painting and crafting. Years later, I formally trained as a visual artist, earning a BA in Fine Art from the University of the West of England. During my studies, I explored a wide range of materials and techniques, and it was there that my fascination with pottery and surface decoration truly began.
In recent years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have my own studio space, now complete with a kiln and pottery wheel, which has allowed me to fully embrace ceramics. My journey with fused glass is gradually coming to a close, as working with clay has offered deeper inspiration—particularly drawn from the natural world and the coastal landscapes that I’m fortunate to be surrounded by.
For over 20 years, I’ve pursued my dream of running an independent art business. It all started in a small workshop within a craft centre in Somerset, followed by a studio at the Heartlands visitor centre in Pool. Steve and I later opened our first shop together on the Hayle harbourside, and most recently, we ran Wellydog in Polperro. While Steve has now stepped into retirement (in theory!), I remain fully engaged in my creative practice.
Today, my focus is on ceramics, with a strong emphasis on surface decoration. I continue to find joy in the process of making and in bringing tactile, nature-inspired pieces to life.
About me
Mr and Mrs Ashworth
We are Janice and Steve, we have been married for over 40 years and in that time we have become a good team. We divide jobs equally …..I am the creative person and Mr WD does everything else. Steve has recently retired from the business, but is still great at supporting my work, and helps me wherever he can
Our Apprentices
This is our daughter Gemma. I don’t know why shes still an apprentice, as she is very good with customers, and helps at some of the craft shows and fairs. We would promote her, but then we might have to pay her!
Our grandchildren have recently been promoted to junior apprentices. In the holidays they used to come and help us in our shop. Now a days they visit and help create things that always inspire me.
Silent Partner
Fin is our collie. He recently been unwell after having a spinal stroke, but he loves getting out on his new wheels and he motivates us to get out, and generally keeps an eye on us. He likes to help us around the studio x
Update
Unfortunately Fins front legs deteriorated and we lost him in March 2023 . I can’t bring myself to delete him off our page as he was very much part of our story .
Why Wellydog?
Our shops have always been called Wellydog. We have oftern been questioned about this, so here is the story……… We are old enough to have seen the introduction of home computers and the first personal emails. For those of you who remember, then picking an email address was difficult, as most names had already been taken. The suggestion at the time was to put your name with a number after it but that didn’t appeal. I tried loads of different versions of my name and was getting quite frustrated, so Mr Wellydog suggested using our dogs name. Our dog at the time was called Wellington Boots, Welly for short , so Wellydog was born. Years later when I established the business and moved into a local craft centre, the idea of thinking of a name and getting a new email address seemed too stressful, so I just continued as Wellydog, and the rest as they say is history.
