After years of teaching, I am now a freelance artist educator, spending time with young people and adults who are often experiencing clay for the first time.
I have a small studio at home and spend time at all hours of the day working through the many processes involved in producing ceramics – from throwing on my wheel and hand building, to glazing, firing and reclaiming clay to be used again.
My work is inspired by forms, textures and patterns in the environment. I am lucky to live next to a forest, which is wonderful in all seasons of the year.
Experimenting with adapted forms, mixing elements of hand building and throwing, allows me to find out what clay can do. Each functional and decorative piece is the result of a process of evolution from experimentation and problem solving, to testing and refinement.
I like to use a variety of clays, including earthenware, stoneware and porcelain, to create finish and form, and fire my work in my electric kiln, sometimes using alternative firings like raku and smoke-firing for different effects. Surfaces are left raw or decorated with glazes, slips and underglazes. I am experimenting with printing onto clay, using photography and inspiration from the landscape.
I make ceramics that are good to hold, that look and feel interesting, tell a story and make you think.
A member of the Southern Ceramic Group, PACS Potters and London Potters, I regularly take part in exhibitions and craft fairs. Currently I have ceramic pieces at Weem Gallery, Pittenweem, Scotland and on the Isle of Barra.
