Statement

My practice centres on the vessel form. I build clay vessels using coil-building techniques that date back to matriarchal Neolithic pottery cultures, and my work makes ongoing reference to the female ceramic record.

I am currently developing large sculptural vessels that balance inner volume and outer form and look to achieve the stillness of a quiet holding or containing space.

My approach to clay focuses on its materiality; I explore its possibilities and resistances. My intention is that the meditative focus of making, the union of energy and calm, is somehow retained in the work.

My mark making is intentional. Working with metal tools, I create movement and texture on surfaces that become highly responsive to light. I smoke-fire with sustainably sourced wood shavings, and as a result the vessels acquire rich and varied surfaces, suggestive of light and dark.

My affinity with clay has been lifelong. After studying in the Midlands in the 1980s, I established studios firstly in Derby and then in rural Southwest Scotland where I continue to live and work.