I started doing pottery seriously after retiring early from teaching. All of my pieces are thrown on the wheel and are designed to be both artistic and functional. Stoneware clay is ideal for such pieces as it is not only robust but lends itself to the subtle colours which I find aesthetically appealing.
My work is often inspired by vessels I have seen, some of them quite ancient ones in museums. Other shapes emerge in a more spontaneous interaction between wheel, hands and clay. People often comment on the quietness and “Japanese” feel of my work–something which perhaps comes from growing up in northern California next to the sea.
Recently I have enjoyed the challenge of making quite large plates and bowls and experimenting with imbedding a very thin strand of copper wire in a volcanic glaze. During firing the copper wire, though only about a millimetre in diameter, melts creating a rather dramatic band of black tinged with green and grey.
I regularly take part in Oxfordshire Artweeks and in Oxfordshire Craft Guild exhibitions. My work has been shown in various galleries including the Wiseman Gallery, Oxford; Bell Fine Art, Winchester; SOTA Gallery, Witney; and Junction Art, Woodstock. Visitors are always welcome at my home studio in Oxford.
