About

I work with stoneware clay, either to make abstract forms,  pieces for smoke firing, or to make objects I would use in my home. 

 Coastal Landscape Series: abstract interpretations  of the force of nature abundantly evident in the coastal locations the I live and holiday in. They are hand built using slab and coil techniques, sometimes carved to pare away and reveal delicate lines, sometimes marked in heavy gestural motion to express elemental power of wind and tide.They are intentionally  layered with slip and glaze to utilise the qualities of the chemical process that produces arrays of colour and variations in depth and movement. 

Smokefire pieces: forms, most often vessels, are thrown on the potters wheel or coil built by hand then   burnished for a  high shine, or marked to give texture. They are kiln fired to give them some strength against the harshness of the next process which is to  burn them in fire. The carefully selected combustibles create different effects on the clay surface, leaving remarkable tangible evidence of the smoke and  flames. Driftwood and seaweed from local beaches make distinctive smokey greys and flashes of orange and red. These pieces are beautiful and atmospheric, brittle and porous – a reminder of how our ancient ancestors would have once used clay.

Tableware: pieces thrown on the potters wheel, turned to refine the form, twice fired and glazed in one or a combination of glazes. They are things I would like myself, usually made in no more than tiny batches. they are fully functional – taking heat and dishwashing. They add a quality to everyday that reminds us to live in the present.