A native of Huddersfield, Gwyn has cultivated an interest in art and design to become a major influence behind key Royal Doulton tableware such as Fusion, Mille Fleures, and Challinor, and Minton patterns including Faisan Blue, and Artemis. Now she talks to Royal Doulton about her fascination with art, patterns, and, ultimately, the tableware she works on.

	Has art always been an interest? Since I was a teenager. I went to a local Art School in Leeds and looked at different elements, including graphics, photography, interior design, surface pattern design. Textiles were my first love, and this led to my studying at Stockport College of Technology (now part of Manchester University).
	Since textiles were your speciality, why did you move into tableware? It was a natural progression. Stockport had a great course which involved drawing plants, and that attracted people from 'The Potteries' to our shows, since tableware often features a natural, floral motif. That helped secure my first job at Matthey Transfers in the mid 1980s. There I learnt all about transfers for ceramic designs on tiles, pans, glassware, and tableware, for a variety of clients, including Royal Doulton.
	What was the unique appeal of Royal Doulton? I was always impressed by Royal Doulton tableware designs. They're always fantastic and I wanted to be part of the creative process that produced them. So I joined as a Surface Pattern Designer.
	You enjoyed some early successes? Absolutely! When I joined with another young designer we believed it could take up to four years to see your own pattern design get to final production. But our bridal pattern for the US market took just six months. Darjeeling bone china was my first major set, inspired by antique tea stained fabric and traditional flowers. It was another bridal pattern and it won an award in the US in 1990.
	And you have some other favourite Royal Doulton tableware patterns to discuss? Fusion is an exciting contemporary angular shape that was designed by Richard Delaney and Richard Williams. We created the patterns Rock Jazz and Jive to give it that modern edge. In contrast, Challinor is a period classic inspired by Victorian sketchbooks in the Royal Doulton Archives - specifically, the textiles. As a result, this formal bone china pattern really oes stand out with beautiful scrollwork and geometric gilt borders.
	Tell us about some recent challenges? Minton has a superb reputation for being luxurious and opulent. It's got a classic English pedigree, but it has to remain contemporary. The great thing is, Minton as a brand can offer an artist a free hand creatively. I'm particularly pleased with Faisan Blue. This was an opportunity to delve into the Minton archives where I found hundreds of different designs on nineteenth century copper plates. My brief was to devise a new blue pattern with traditional roots - and my answer was a distinctive Magnolia motif, emboldened by the pure white of the bone china. Artemis is more trend setting and contemporary. I've taken a floral medallion, set it off with almost blossoming gilt edged scrollwork, and added sweeping lines and stripes. It's Minton class with a modern touch. And you can see how my early interest in plants has come through.
	Tableware is a clear passion - what keeps you interested, pattern after pattern? Having so much on your plate! Every day really is different. I once spent six months in New York researching the local market. One day I can be sat at my board, sketching out ideas. The next I can be setting up a lifestyle scene to place our ideas in context. Then I can be out at trade shows, such as Birmingham or Frankfurt. It's genuinely hands-on work.
	Do you feel at home with new technology in 'The Potteries'? The traditional and PC based skills complement one another. I'll always start with my artwork skills as a commitment to excellence which a computer can't replace. But I'll also use a computer to hone ideas and attend to the finer details. When you're competing in the global marketplace computer programmes bring speed as an edge.
	Are there any role models or personal inspirations to mention? With my grounding in textiles I'm a big fan of names from William Morris to Florence Broadhurst. And there is so much of our own heritage to look back on, especially the work of Robert Allen which can still have an impact on designs of the future.
	What does the future hold for you and Royal Doulton? Let's just say that we are working on new trends for 2006 - and we're hoping to add even more big names to our product offering. It's a case of watch this Design Studio.