I established my pottery in 1991 in a 17th Century thatched barn. Here I produce a wide range of thrown stoneware and porcelain. Blue, green, turquoise and white glazes are created with the addition of copper, cobalt and tin oxides.
Hand thrown forms and press-moulded dishes are enhanced by the double-dipping and overlapping of glazes, resulting in subtle abstract qualities reflecting coastal landscapes. Brushed coloured slips and wax resist between glazes add further dimensions to the surface decoration.
All work is microwave, oven and dishwasher proof. Traditional craftsmanship linked to contemporary design have led to the production of beautiful and practical pots- to be used and enjoyed.
Commissions can be undertaken
I trained as a draughtswoman but my interest in potting started when i attended evening classes. After a while I enrolled on a morning class at Aylesbury College, eventually going on a Teacher’s Training course which enabled me to take evening classes. During this period I was also making pottery and selling it at craft shows including the Saturday Craft Market at the Old Fire Station in Oxford.
In 1984 I purchased a small shop in Buckingham and because I was making dragons and castles at the time called it the Dragon Gallery. I now make mostly decorative pottery which I throw in my studio at home. I then take the pots to the shop and decorate them while talking to the customers. I enjoy this method of working. I use an Earthstone Clay which I decorate at the green-ware stage with under-glaze colours.
I have been actively interested in pottery for many years and before having my own studio I attended classes and courses whenever I had the opportunity. Completing a City and Guilds in 1985 was an important step in my pottery education, providing theory to complement my improving practical skills. For the last 10 years I have had time and space to develop my work. I am always looking for new ideas and still go on courses to improve my techniques, and widen my range.
My experiences have led me to a preference for functional stoneware, producing pots that are not only attractive but also strong and hard-wearing. My work is usually thrown, with occasional hand-built pieces.
I am constantly testing and experimenting with glazes to extend my range and create interesting colours and effects by applying one glaze over another in different ways. Recent experiments with wax resist have opened up new avenues for exploration.
I have a BA in Ceramics from Bristol and did further post graduate study at Saratoga University, New York State. My first studio was in London`s dockland; after 5 years I moved to Oxfordshire and established a studio here. I have combined teaching art and ceramics with working in my studio for most of my career.
I like to frequently explore new materials and techniques and my work is constantly evolving. Drawing is important in the development of my painted decoration. Travels in Africa, Madagascar and Central America have been rich sources of imagery which I have developed into unique designs. In the past I worked in stoneware and porcelain but I have recently been focusing on using white earthenware clays. The lower firing temperature and whiteness enable me to achieve the effects I want with my decoration which involves 5 different processes. Although decorative, all pieces are fully functional.
I trained and worked as an industrial designer in South Africa where I was born. I worked as a designer for S.A. Phillips, then worked in the drawing office of a mining company while studying structural engineering, before moving to England to study ceramics at the Royal College of Art. Inspired by the collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, I became fascinated with the endless possibilities for colour and texture in glazes at high temperatures, and the application of these in layers with free painterly brush strokes to produce unique combinations on my pots. The shapes are mostly thrown in a fine white stone ware clay with both function and form in mind, although I do sometimes work in porcelain and handbuild some pots. My first studio was in the East End of London with a group of painters and sculptors before establishing my home and pottery in converted barns in an old farmyard in Waterstock, just outside Oxford, where I have been both potting and teaching pottery for the last 30 years. I have exhibited my work in London, York, Cambridge, Oxford and many other rural towns, in one woman shows and group exhibitions.
I have been employed for most of my career in The Animation Industry during which time I worked my way up through the business to the post of Director.
I was an animator and boarder on, “The Snowman” and my Directing Credits include, “The Bear” and “The Snowman and The Snowdog” which I also co-wrote.
I am based in Buckinghamshire and only only recently started to sculpt full time, re-igniting a love for the medium which I have not followed since being an art student.
Sculpture is a natural progression from animation – in animation one is deceiving the eye into thinking it is looking at a three dimensional space, although in reality one is looking at a two dimensional space.
I specialise in animal sculptures, and have an especial love of birds. All my pieces are built using the traditional coil technique in stoneware clay. In some of my pieces I use the technique of scrffito – drawing directly into the slip before the first firing. I then paint coloured glazes into the drawn line before firing the piece for a second time.
I also experimenting with the use of black clay which I have found can be given the appearance of bronze after the application of several finishes after firing.
I take part in The Bucks Open Studios and have exhibited at The Osbidian Gallery and Lucinda Brown Gallery I am also a member of The Buckinhamshire Pottery Society.
I am happy to take commissions, and will work closely with the client throughout the creative process.
I became a potter by chance after a fortuitous visit, in 1984, to Aldermaston Pottery. After a three year apprenticeship to Alan Caiger-Smith I set up Cherry Tree Pottery where I continued to make majolica. I became a member of the OCG and exhibited widely. In 1994 I moved to America and set up Spindletop Studio and started working in porcelain and stoneware and firing with wood and salt. This was a huge change and it took a few years really to make the transition from precisely decorated, electric fired earthenware. On our return to England in 2001, I started Ewelme Pottery and have recently built a soda kiln. I am in thrall to soda at the moment and experimenting with slips and glazes. I also go often to France where, with other potters, I fire an anagama kiln. Pictures of this hungry, fiery dragon in full spate can be seen on my website.
By experimenting with partial glazing of the clay surface with blue, white and green glazes and then smoke firing the spheres I have created an ‘Earth like’ effect. The Earth Discs were developed from a challenge / commission to create a large piece for a narrow shelf. Along side the Moon and Earth Jars I also build vessels, which I call ‘Pails’ , some tall, some not so tall, finishing them with handles I have made from found twigs and small branches. These I also smoke fire on occasion.
I trained in Ceramics at the West Surrey College of Art and Design in the 1970’s. For many years I ran a pottery making domestic stoneware decorated with images strongly influenced by the countryside, combined with teaching in adult education. After a break working in a Museum I have recently started making ceramic sculpture and garden pots. The stoneware pieces are made in crank clay fired to 1280C in an electric kiln. The earthenware is from Whichford Pottery, fired to 1060C and waxed. Some sections are thrown and then modelled, others are hand built. My subjects are generally figurative, animals, human heads and subjects from myths and legends. I have recently started making ammonites and pebbles, influenced by visits to the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. All my work is designed to work outside, especially in a garden setting. Commissions welcome
I grew up in the Cotswolds, with many acres of common land to play in. Horses and animals were a strong feature of my childhood. I pursued a love of drawing on a degree course at Aberystwyth, and trained and worked as an art teacher. I found the plastic qualities of clay, when I encountered it, liberating and inspiring. After taking a ceramics course in Oxford in 1984, I set up as a maker in Folly Bridge Workshops and spent 5 years learning, making and selling.
I moved to a garden workshop when my children were little and taught ceramics in a wide variety of settings. In 2004, I began working for the mental health charity Restore. With the remit of making high quality work for sale, I set up and ran a large ceramic workshop in Didcot working closely with people, developing designs, and making pieces for sale. Changes in the structure at Restore, however, have recently allowed me the opportunity to return more fully to my own work.
I make horses in stoneware; some with wings, some accompanied by riders.
