statement

Strongly inspired by the natural environment and textures, my work often incorporates impressions of items such as leaves, bark, seashells and seed heads.  Having spent my childhood in both Africa and the Far East, I also work with incised and printed designs which draw on other cultures and traditions.

All my work is based on coiling and slab building techniques, sometimes using hand-made moulds for dish and bowl shapes.  My pieces tend to be functional, but not necessarily traditional in shape or form.

I like to hand build using a range of stoneware clays including Earthstone Original, Buff, Ironstone, Raku crank and Garden Terracotta.  Using an electric kiln bisqueware is fired to 1000°C and glazed wares to 1260°C. Unglazed Terracotta garden pots are fired to 1200°C for frost proofing and the beautiful dark colouring.

Painted oxides add colour, highlighting my designs and further textures result from the application of wax resist, leaving the imprinted or incised designs free of glaze. 

When glazes are used, they can be either matt or glossy, but tend towards natural, earthy or oceanic colours.  Sometimes a combination of glazes will be used on the same piece to create more dramatic decorative effects. 

I feel it is import to continue to explore and experiment with shape, form, proportion and technique. My work, as a result, is distinctive and varied and may not conform to any acknowledged direction in ceramics.