Clarice Cliff Scarlett, who helped her with the ware, and soon a more professional 'backstamp' was made, which carried Cliff's facsimile signature, and proclaimed "Hand painted Bizarre by Clarice Cliff, Newport Pottery England". This backstamp was in fact to lead to "Bizarre" being used as an umbrella name for her entire pattern range, so that the factory then had to refer to the first pieces in the simple triangles as "Original Bizarre". In March 1927 Colley Shorter (who acted very independently of his brother, Guy), sent Cliff to the Royal College of Art in Kensington, London for two brief periods of study
Clarice Cliff were added by holding the piece upside down and painting thin lines amongst the flowers. Being made from the individual brushstrokes, the "Crocus" pattern was clearly completely hand-painted, and the vibrant colours instantly attracted large sales. Initially, Clarice had just one young decorator produce "Crocus", Ethel Barrow. But as orders flooded in by 1930 a separate decorating 'shop' was established underneath the top floor of the building which housed the 'Bizarre' shop, and Ethel became responsible for training young painters how to do the pattern. Twenty young women painted nothing but "Crocus" 5½ days a week, for much of the