Statement

My creative practice centres on an exploration of surface texture, colour, tone and mark-making. I hand-build solitary or grouped sculptural objects and vessels which act as metaphors for emotional and physical states as well as inter-personal relationships.

I am fascinated by antiques and collectibles, discarded and found items with a patina of age and wear. The worn, scarred or damaged surfaces of such objects bear testament to their use and give rise to imagined histories. A personal inclination to acquire and display series of objects is reflected in my work and has encouraged an interest in the concept of ‘collecting’ - relationships that exist between individual elements of a collection - and in what we deem ‘valuable’.

Inspiration is drawn from natural and man-made objects in the landscape around my home as well as from ‘beach-combings’ on the shores of Halstow Creek. Fine art, poetry, fiction, fairy tales, nursery rhymes and song lyrics are also rich veins from which I draw ideas. Ceramic and found materials are often combined to add visual and tactile interest. Individual ceramic elements are carefully positioned to emphasise the implied narrative in each grouping.

I currently divide my time between the ceramics studio and freelance work as an arts administrator and craft curator.