I set up my first studio in London in the early 1990’s. At that time my work was influenced by the cliffs of North Cornwall, where I spent much of my time, and their erosion by the weather and sea. In the late 90’s I found my love for working with black stoneware and porcelain, fusing them together to create the textures and contrast found in the landscape. My first attempts at joining two such different clay’s, resulted in them pulling apart in the firing but over the years I have perfected the technique and although it takes time and patience I still enjoy the challenge of working this way. I am often asked if the porcelain I use is paper porcelain, its not, in the main I have always used Audrey Blackman porcelain and on occasion Ming. A new addition to my work is parian, which enables me to create extremely fine details. Parian is a type of porcelain that imitates marble. It was developed in the mid-1800’s by the staffordshire pottery manufacturer Minton and is often used in victorian sculptures and dolls and can be found in solid and slip form. In 2013 my interest had moved to under the sea and my passion for corals had begun. It was a natural progression for me with my love of the sea and one which suited the materials I enjoyed working with. All my research at this time came from reference books and museum collections. As my work evolved so did my interest in life beneath the waves and in 2018 & 2019 I was lucky enough to visit an eco diving village on the Red Sea in Egypt. Seeing these animal colonies up close re-ignited my passion for the sea and everything in it, seeing the amazing life of corals, sponges and the creatures that live within them is truly astounding. Where I had mainly worked in mono tone suddenly the colour beneath the surface came into play and my work changed quite dramatically. I revisit this amazing place when I can to study more and photograph this beautiful world. To help me with my research and photography I am an advanced open water scuba diver and enjoy freediving.
I now enjoy working from my studio in Porthtowan, back to the sea and cliffs where it all began.
All my pieces are individually hand built, so you are guaranteed to have a completely unique piece.
