In 1978 Rupert Spira went to West Surrey College of Art and Design and trained under Henry Hammond. In 1980 he went on to train with Michael Cardew at Wenford Bridge Pottery before setting up his own studio in Hampshire in 1984. Since 1996 he has been in his current studio in Shropshire.

His best and most recognisable work contains poems, both self written and by Kathleen Raine the celebrated British poet. The poems are either scratched into the glaze in the sgraffito style or written as embossed letters either in a square block or in a single line across the surface of the vessel. These works vary in size from prayer bowls only a few centimetres across through to huge open bowls 50 cm or more in diameter.

He is also known for his cylinders which are often made as part of a series and while beautiful in their own right were made to be exhibited as a group. These also vary in scale from a few centimetres in height through to the largest being a meter or more high. He works mainly in simple white, off white and black minimalistic colors but he does also occasionally make deep redly glazed bowls and very distinguishable yellow tea sets.

Rupert's work can be found in many public collections throughout Britain including the Victoria and Albert Museum and Sainsbury collection as well as in many private collections worldwide.