I love to throw and I find my interest in shape and form guide what I produce. I have recently started to discover the pleasure of hand building. The slow rhythm is in contrast to throwing but offers a freedom of shape and form. I have always created my own glazes. Without the uniformity of commercial glazes the look of my pots is varied and sometimes unexpected. I tend to use raw oxides as I love the vibrancy they can bring. Their temperamental nature feeds into an element of imperfection and happenstance that I embrace. I am fascinated by how Islamic potters fit their intricate patterns to match the pot. Currently I am using a selection of ash, copper red and rutile glazes but vary what I use year to year.
My first encounter with pottery was at the age of 13 whist attending Monkton Wyld School in Dorset. By 15 I was involved in building a three chamber oil fired kiln which I regularly fired late into the night. Returning home from school I built my first electric kiln at my parents home in Suffolk. That kiln fired to 1280°C reduction was achieved by poking sticks of wood through the spy hole. I continued my practice at evening classes at Camden Arts Centre eventually building an electric wheel and gas kiln at my house in London.