Archie McCall was born in Dumfries in 1951. His career in ceramics began in 1970 as an apprentice to the potter John Davey at Bridge of Dee, Kirkcudbrightshire. In 1974 he travelled in Japan and Korea before establishing his first pottery in Garlieston, Wigtownshire.

Archie was appointed full-time lecturer in Ceramics at the Glasgow School of Art in 1986, becoming Head of Department in 1992. During his period as Head of Ceramics he introduced the innovative part-time BA(Hons) degree programme which is delivered through residential schools and on-line, distance learning. This was the only programme of its type in Europe. It is the landscape of Dumfries in southwest Scotland which has inspired much of Archie’s ceramics over many years and decades.