CENTRE FOR MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
STUDIO CERAMICS AND ORIGINAL ARTWORK

I make saltglazed domestic pots, specialising in teapots together with jugs, mugs and cups of varying shapes and sizes. These have been steadily evolving since 2000 when I started experimenting with open handles as an alternative to the closed loops conventionally used in ceramics. The handle continues to be the starting point for my designs which are otherwise influenced by my early interests in aviation (I have a degree in Aeronautical Engineering) and the precision of engineered objects.

My aim is to make functional and visually arresting pots that have a sense of movement and balance in their design.

Ergonomics and clarity of form are equally important to me: for a design to be successful, the pot must be satisfying and pleasurable to use, whilst at the same time having the power to hold the viewer’s attention and interest.

Frequently in thrown pottery it’s the quality of the throwing or the subsequent manipulation of the shape that gives a pot its sense of movement. For these teapots of mine, however, it’s the articulation of the handle and spout and the relationship between them that I use in my efforts to achieve this. This way I can throw and turn the bodies to express the precision like qualities I want without losing the pot’s overall energy in the process.