Seriously Playing With Clay:
My work is experimental, instinctive and spontaneous. I use coarse clays, coloured slips and oxides to reflect the earth and the elements. The process encourages the clay to move and express its own characteristics. The hand-built, slab forms are based on rusted and eroded farm equipment that I would find in hedgerows as a child; metal jugs and watering cans, patched and repaired over the years, that no longer held any functional use but were stunningly beautiful forms.
More recently I have been exploring Japanese Kurinuki techniques – carving and hollowing out solid blocks of clay. This approach allows for more fluid and incidental surface textures to emerge. I draw inspiration from the work of artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Peter Randall-Page for their connection to the landscape and natural world. The forms bear witness to the relationship with the environment, expressed through the manipulation of natural materials.