Kate Semple (b. 1970, South Yorkshire, England) is a ceramicist based in York. She creates sculptural pieces using the traditional hand building methods of slab, pinch and coil, and working with paper and clay. She recently ran a recycled paper vessel virtual workshop for Toast, where she shared her process and love of creating something beautiful from the discarded. 
Kate’s mother was an antique dealer specialising in vintage ceramics. From the likes of John Beswick to Clarice Cli, beautifully formed vessels adorned with painterly brushstrokes filled her family home. Each piece had a price sticker underneath and they would come and go. Meanwhile her father was an engineer who in his spare time would tinker in his handbuilt workshop, turning felled wood into beautiful vessels.   With a background in Illustration and Graphic Design, Kate has always had an interest in 3D: paper projects or a pottery night class usually adding to her week. She began hand building vessels at home during the pandemic and in the spring of 2022 took part in the York Open Studios where she sold her work for the first time.