Susan Williams-Ellis facts for kids

Susan Williams-Ellis (born June 6, 1918 – died November 26, 2007) was a British designer. She was best known for helping to start Portmeirion Pottery. She was the oldest daughter of the famous architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.

Early Life and Education

Susan Williams-Ellis was born in Guildford, England. Her father, Sir Clough, was a well-known architect. Her mother, Amabel Strachey, was a writer. Her parents were friends with famous artists like Augustus John and Virginia Woolf. Even the famous writer Rudyard Kipling was her godfather!

From a young age, Susan knew she wanted to be an artist. In the 1930s, she learned about pottery from Bernard and David Leach. Later, in the 1940s, she studied at Chelsea School of Art. Her teachers there included important artists like Graham Sutherland for painting and Henry Moore for sculpture. They helped her develop her natural talent for creating three-dimensional shapes.

Starting Portmeirion Pottery

In 1945, Susan married Euan Cooper-Willis. In 1948, they moved to Wales and tried to live simply. Susan earned money by illustrating books and doing design work.

In 1953, Susan and Euan took over the souvenir shop in the Welsh village of Portmeirion. This unique village was created by Susan's father. The shop was not making money at first. But by 1961, it had grown a lot! Susan and Euan were managing the whole village. They even opened a second Portmeirion shop in London.

Following her father's idea that "good design is good business," Susan and Euan turned two old pottery factories in Stoke-on-Trent into a very successful company. This company became Portmeirion Pottery. At a time when it was unusual for women to run businesses, Susan Williams-Ellis became a successful designer and businesswoman. She was also a wife and mother.

Portmeirion was one of the first companies to understand what customers wanted for their homes. They created many products like dishes, kitchen items, and gifts.

The Botanic Garden Collection

The 1970s saw the creation of Portmeirion's most famous collection: Botanic Garden. Susan found inspiration for this design in an old book. She was looking for pictures of sea creatures for pottery. Instead, a bookseller showed her a colorful book from 1817 about plants and flowers. This book, by Thomas Green, was called The Universal -or -Botanical, Medical and Agricultural Dictionary.

Botanic Garden became the company's most successful line of dishes. But at first, store buyers were not sure about it. Susan Williams-Ellis remembered:

When we first launched Botanic Garden, people expected all dishes in a set to match. I thought, "Why can't we have different patterns in one collection?" So, I created Botanic Garden! The department store buyers in 1972 said no one would sell it because it had too many designs. They also thought no one would buy it because it didn't match. I think I proved them all wrong!

Even when she was in her eighties, Susan loved designing. She stayed involved with new Portmeirion designs. She helped introduce Portmeirion to people all over the world. Until 2006, she traveled to find ideas for her art. She found inspiration from old cultures and underwater worlds.

Art and Recognition

Susan created many paintings and drawings of tropical fish. She loved scuba diving. She even found a way to sketch fish and corals underwater using tracing paper and crayons. She would then paint the final artwork in her studio. These works are shown in the art book Magic Gardens. You can also see them in the print designs of her granddaughter, Rose Fulbright-Vickers.

In 2005, Susan received a special award from the University of the Arts London. She was very happy about it. Susan Williams-Ellis said:

I wanted to create beautiful things that people could afford. I wanted people to buy my work because they liked it and it was useful. It's funny that my work from the 1960s is now very "collectable." I am very lucky. My teachers at Chelsea before the War were Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland. It was a wonderful chance to learn from them. The people of Stoke-on-Trent have also been wonderful. Their hard work helped Portmeirion sell our pottery around the world.

Family Life

Susan married Euan Cooper-Willis in 1945. Euan was a friend of her brother, Christopher. Christopher had sadly passed away in 1944 during a battle in Italy.

Susan and Euan had four children: Anwyl, Siân, Menna Angharad, and Robin Llywelyn. Anwyl and Menna are artists who worked closely with Portmeirion Pottery. Siân works for peace. Robin is a writer who writes in the Welsh language.

Her father, Sir Clough, wrote about his feelings in his book, Architect Errant. He said that after Christopher's death, they tried to live fully and keep their sadness to themselves. They were happy to have grandchildren soon after.

Death

Susan Williams-Ellis passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 26, 2007. She was 89 years old.