Kathie Winkle is a highly renowned British ceramicist and designer who is renowned for her iconic Mid-Century Modern designs. Born in 1926 in Stoke-on-Trent, England, she began her career in the pottery industry at the young age of 16, starting out as a trainee lithographer at the Broadhurst & Sons factory in Tunstall.
Winkle soon began creating her own designs, gaining recognition for her unique, colorful and bold patterns. Her designs were distinctive, combining playful geometric shapes with vibrant shades of orange, green, blue, and purple. Her designs were so popular, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, that they came to be synonymous with the era's optimism and modernism.
She began working for W R Midwinter Ltd, a Staffordshire pottery company in 1950 and stayed until 1965. During these 15 years, she designed some of the most eclectic and famous tableware ranges including the “Sienna” and “Landscape” patterns, as well as illustrating children’s' books. She continued to work with other brands such as Broadhurst pottery, J & G Meakin, and Carlton Ware, among others. Her designs were so popular that many of them achieved cult-like status worldwide.
Winkle's designs have become highly collectible, and they are still highly sought after by collectors today. Her work remains influential, with new generations of ceramic artists and designers looking to her work for inspiration, and many of her designs are still being produced today.
In her later years, Winkle retired from pottery design and moved to Oregon in the United States, where she continued to pursue her love of painting. Despite her retirement, her influence on the world of ceramics remains powerful, and her work will always be admired for its unique and innovative style, which perfectly captures the energy and optimism of the Mid-Century Modern era.