A fabulous handmade studio pottery art plate by Robert William Melville at Prawle Pottery, Devon, dating from 1972. The round flat plate is hand thrown in red stoneware/clay. The upper was glazed white and the super stylised abstract fish was hand painted, with the addition of some white spots and sgraffito lines. It's shades of blue, aqua and pale pink, with a black rim and black outlines.
Robert left his teaching job in Hampshire in 1970 (where he taught the art class) and moved to South Devon with his wife Rosemary to set up Prawle Pottery. He had trained as a graphic artist at Liverpool and often incorporated strong drawings of birds or women on his chargers/plates using cobalt on tin glaze. He was a prolific artist in clay/painting/etching and print. 
A good sized 27cm wide x 2cm tall (flat, shallow). Very good vintage condition. There are some spots of missing black glaze along the rim line, some are shown, which could be easily touched up. The plate has an impressed mark 'PRAWLE' to the base, as well as the hand painted marks 'RM 72'.  
A super piece of 1970s art, more suited as an ornamental collectable plate and perfect for display and for a collector. 
Price includes P&P to the UK.