NEARLY six years ago, Jon Faulkner took over vacant, warehouse-like premises at Dockyard and - with the aid of his creative mugs, plates and assorted pieces of pottery - transformed it into a kaleidoscope of colour. The result was Bermuda Clayworks where the door is, quite literally, open seven days a week.

"Bermuda Clayworks started about five-and-a-half years ago. When we first moved into the building it was just a concrete structure and completely open. In the pottery business, (one) tends to run out of space all the time and so we added a loft area to give us more room for storage and workspace."

The renovated area was enhanced, Mr. Faulkner said, by the building's design. There is no door in the traditional sense. Instead a huge, open space - shut only at night - welcomes visitors to the premises.

"The rain only comes in if the wind is out of the southeast," he explained. "And usually, we're okay."

Bermuda Clayworks has been well received by the public.

"We're the only real commercial outlet for hand-made pottery on the island. We seem to be popular with tourists and locals and do well throughout the season. Locally, our house signs are really popular but we also do a lot of dinner sets, vases and one-off pieces. The designs are mostly our own, the only custom-made work we do are our house signs."

Mr. Faulkner said the art of pottery making fascinated him even as a child, when he first learned the skill as part of the art classes he took as a student.

"I like the creative aspect of it," he explained. "To do it well, it helps if you are creative, but you do need a lot of practice. Professionally, I've been doing it for 15 years, but I've always enjoyed it. We did it in school as part of our (art class).

"I left school at about the age of 13 and at 15, joined as an apprentice with a local pottery shop in Derbyshire in England. I'd always been interested in owning my own business, and I would stay after work to practise and make things of my own which I would basically give away to people."

The potter said he moved around a bit, working with different shops before settling in Bermuda and branching out on his own.

"I had another pottery shop, Bermuda Ceramics," he explained. "I worked (in that company) on my own for three years before I began Bermuda Clayworks. It was based out of (the National Trust property) Springfield in Somerset for two years and, for a year after that, I worked out of my home before I got the opportunity to come to Dockyard and open shop. I started it on my own, but it has since grown to four or five employees."

With the pottery designs created on site, everything that comes out of the store is unique to Bermuda Clayworks. However, Mr. Faulkner said, the process relied on by most professional potters today was different to what he learned as a child. "Everything we make is hand-painted, just as it was years ago, but, where before they were hand-made, they're now all machine-made and cast. Much of it is made in moulds. And we have plate- making machines and cup-making machines and an hydraulic machine."

An all too-familiar chorus Mr. Faulkner said he often heard from customers is: "Do you teach classes? Can you teach us how to do it?" While the answer for the moment is no, Bermuda Clayworks does offer a bit of pottery playing around time for the artistically inclined.

"People often ask if we'd be willing to teach pottery classes but making (pieces) on the wheel is very time consuming. We're busy enough filling our own (requirements) and at five o'clock, we just want to go home.

"But eight months ago, we opened a paint-your-own studio where people can come in and paint their own pottery. It's been a great success, especially on weekends. People can come in whenever they want, paint whatever they want in their own design - the smallest is a mug which costs about $7.50 - and leave it with us.

"We glaze and fire it for them and they can pick it up about seven days later. We can seat eight at a time and people often book space for parties. We do hold (the space) if it's booked but generally people can walk in at any time and do it."

The non-toxic colours are safe for kids, he says. And the idea has proved a hit with many parents on the island as a means of entertaining their little ones.

"The colours they paint with are similar to watercolours. And they're made of a non-toxic material. So they're safe for children. Many parents bring their kids - which is a fun activity for them - and they often bring in their newborns to have them put their footprints or handprints on a plate or something. Once it's glazed, it lasts forever as long as you don't drop it."

Bermuda Clayworks is located in Dockyard, opposite the boat slip and is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m.