I grew up in Cumbria with the Lake District as my playground. The breathtaking beauty of the land, hills, rivers, and shorelines, together with the ever-changing light and colours, all have a powerful effect on how I feel. When I started in ceramics a decade ago, I was naturally drawn to expressive glazing using rich and distinctive colour palettes. I didn't realise then that I was evoking my own sense of being present in the landscape I love. As the years have passed, my current work combines simple forms to show off the colour palettes in a way that creates dramatic landscapes, moody skies, and coastal shorelines. They are nowhere in particular, but they are somewhere to someone.
The intention is to make you stop and pause, and in so doing, create an affinity with each piece. I want you to touch, look upon, enjoy, and use the pieces I create. That’s why my work includes functional pieces to enhance your experience of eating, drinking, and sharing company. I also make one-off statement pieces for the home, such as vases and centre pieces, where changing light and placement can create a new affinity.
I use stoneware clay and mainly throw on the wheel, and I don't see this changing. However, exploration and experimentation with clay excite me, so I am now developing a new body of work that looks at the interpretation of geology and texture within the landscape. These combine wheel-thrown, altered, and hand-building techniques to create unique one-off pieces. As with all my work, the pieces will be functional as well as decorative.
I work from a garden studio at my home in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, and my work is available from my website and through ceramics fairs across Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and nationwide.
