Both form and decoration are important to me, but it is the form that will dictate how I decorate the final piece. Ultimately, if the form is not right, the finished piece will never be, for me, a "good" pot not matter how well decorated the surface is.
Current Work
My Background
I established my own studio in 1988. I had previously studied ceramics before working in the ceramic industry in Stoke on Trent (including as a designer for Coalport China). My background in the industry has given me a broad appreciation of ceramics and techniques. I am interested in the art ware produced by Royal Doulton in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but I am also fascinated by the work of French potters such as Clement Massier. I am equally appreciative of the works of Kandinsky, Malevich, Mondrian, Nicholson, Brancusi and Rodchenko. Tjhey have all been an influence on me as have the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.
While drawing on these various sources and cultures, I also have my own original vision. I have developed my own glazes and techniques over many years of experimentation and am still excited by the results of the combination of human judgement and technique. I am always willing to take risks with my work and see where it takes me. It is, in my opinion, this quality which distinguishes the artist from the craftsperson.
I am a Fellow Member of the Craft Potters Association and a selected member of Contemporary Applied Arts.
I enjoy exploring the juxtaposition of the certainty of line and the ambiguity of more painterly surfaces with sensitively applied textures. They create and illusion of movement, stillness and space.
Working like a painter with the pot as my canvas, I use a visual "language" of shape, colour, form and line to create abstract compositions. These create an interaction which I hope evokes feelings in the viewer based upon reality and suggestion.