Ceramics
Stoneware functional ceramics, porcelain bottles and sculptural works from my studio. Head to the Shop Online page to see what is currently for sale.
My ceramic work includes both functional and art pieces.
I make wide range of functional wheel-thrown vessels - cups, mugs, bowls and jugs along with my octopus citrus juicers which have proven very popular!
I also create sculptural objects and larger hand-built works, inlcuding the 'Reef Series' inspired by my snorkeling adventures and love of the ocean.
My unique octojuicers have become very popular so please get in touch if you would like to order one. Some works, such as the juicers, can be posted. More delicate pieces are for pick up only.
I make my work as sustainably as I can by minimising waste, recycling all clay scraps, using solar power for my kiln (% varies depending on the season). I also use recycled packaging materials such as bubble wrap, newspaper and boxes. If you order something as a gift and don't want me to use recycled packaging please let me know.
I also work with porcelain slip, or liquid clay, formed in hand-made moulds. I love the contrast of the fine porcelain and the irregular shapes and textural imperfections of the hand-made. In some pieces, I emphasise the liquid nature of the clay by mixing tinted slips together to create splashes and swirls of colour. I have only limited control over the final outcome, and I enjoy this unknowable aspect of the making process.
Pieces in progress:
Making with mud and my mum
My mother was a potter. It was her greatest passion, although she also worked in many other materials. I grew up with clay and the processes that led from a damp lump of earth to a functional or fantastical form. Each stage is marked by the excitement of firing and the nervous anticipation of its outcome. I remember from my childhood a late-night salt firing like some people would remember cracker night or a solstice bonfire. The whooshing noise and flames of the burners set into a brick kiln that mum had built in the back yard. …wrapping rock salt in newspaper and inserting the little packets through a bung hole where they vaporised in a glow of orange. The next morning we removed bricks to reveal the wonderful blushes of colour and orange-peel texture on her handiwork.
My pots are not like my mother’s. But working with clay and slip is very much connected to my childhood with her, and makes me feel her presence even though she’s been gone for more than 20 years now. I miss her in my making, but also revel in sharing the contentment of handling the cool, pliable earth; of moulding and making with mud.
I published a paper called Making with Mud and my Mother in TEXT journal here.