CENTRE FOR MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
STUDIO CERAMICS AND ORIGINAL ARTWORK

I prefer to build upwards with coils of clay. I enjoy the slower pace, manipulating the shape and form as the pot develops. I work on a theme making 3 or 4 at a time, each one a development of the preceding vessel. Sometimes I revisit a theme at a later date taking it in a different direction. Texture is always an important aspect of my work and smooth insides often contrast with rough outsides. My glazes are mainly made from wood ash and the naked clay is often left exposed. All the processes are designed to be as simple as possible.

My pots have been described as ‘quiet’, they invite the viewer to look more closely to discover the myriad of subtle colours and nuances, wood firing adds an extra dimension to the controlled forms. The vagaries of ash and flame have an unpredictable quality, the weather, type of wood and duration of firing can give up different and subtle results. I use the wood kiln as a tool. Where the pot might go in the kiln and how it might be glazed are often considered as the form takes shape.

My present kiln is a small 12cu ft down draught, a development of the kiln that I built before and similar to Jack Troy’s Phoenix Kiln. Hand building is a slow process and to develop my work, the smaller kiln means that I can fire more often and experiment more with glaze and fire.
I fire, mainly alone, using scrap wood from pallets, firings last about 12 hours or until cone 11 is over.