I was in my late twenties when I finally enrolled at the local Art College to do a DipAD specialising in sculpture. After the four year course I found myself drawn to working with clay. During the early years of setting up a studio, I spent a considerable amount of time experimenting and attending many courses given by well respected Potters. I took that knowledge to suit my style.
I love working with clay. There are as many different types of clay as there are methods of making and firing. I use either a red clay or a pure white clay. Initially, I used to use coils of clay to make very organic pots . Now I use slabs of clay with templates I make myself to enable me to have a more controlled finish. This allows me to make small runs of similar pots. I fire in an electric kiln.
My inspiration comes from life itself. I let it find me and move me so that every piece is shaped with intent. The forms I make intentionally illuminate the perfection of imperfection. The Japanese call it wabi -sabi. Like each one of us, each pot is unique and belongs as it is.
My work embraces stories that bring joy to the process and for me bring the clay alive. I gather “ treasures” that wash up on my metaphoric shore and nurture my desire that my work becomes more than just clay and glaze. All the stories and rhythms are woven into the heart of my work.
My work sold well in Craft Council selected galleries and I exhibited widely in group and solo exhibitions in Uk, France and Germany.
I took a couple of years out to train as a ceramic conservator/ restorer and worked in this profession for 10 years until the call of clay became too loud and I returned to making again. In 2013 I fulfilled a long held ambition to live in Scotland. Home of both my birth and my family.
So leaving the south of England, family and friends behind we started a new life in Highland Perthshire.
So, here I am now with a new studio in Blair Atholl, with a couple of galleries here in Scotland selling my work , whilst I still retain work in a gallery in Hampshire. I’m restricting myself to just a few exhibitions per year and this suits my new slower pace of making.
I make with my hands and they are an extension of my heart. Therefore , I work with my heart.
Goldsmith College, London- Dip HE
Southampton School of Art – Dip AD Fine Art (Sculpture)
Eastleigh Tech College BTEC Public Administration
West Dean College – Post Graduate Diploma in Ceramic Conservation and Restoration.
Member of Scottish Potters
Chair of Southern Ceramic Group and also Membership Secretary
Company Secretary and Director of Perthshire Open Studios
Member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen
Associate member of the Craft Potters Association
© 2020 All rights reserved
Made with Wonderful Wordpress and Extraordinary Elementor