What training have you had?

I qualified with a textiles degree from Gray’s School of Art in 2003 in Aberdeen. For the last three years I have redirected my creative skills to ceramics training, attending regular evening and day ceramic classes and workshops.

Tell me about your influences and artistic inspiration.

My textiles degree allowed me to work with pattern and form which has helped to influence the way I now work. My ceramics are inspired by nature and the path it leaves behind on the landscape. The vessels themselves are simple shapes taken from my interest in the aesthetics of past objects - milk churns,chemistry beakers and enamel wear. These shapes will continue to inform each other as I develop my practice.

I love so many different types of art and artists that don’t necessarily influence my work directly so I’ll give you a few I love,from different aspects, David Shrigley, Yoshitomo Naraand Gertrud Vassegaard.

Why do you do what you do?

I love making and designing, going through a process,every part is made up of different stages so it never gets boring. I continue to learn and develop my work, the way I use clay or glazes.

What would you like a viewer to take away from your work?

It’s just a simple one - I just really want my work, whether it’s a tiny pot, mug or large vase to make people feel happy or content like warmth when they interact with the piece. I want the excitement I get when I’m making, the buzz I get when the pot comes out the kiln, and be able to pass it on through to them.

Describe your preliminary process.

I pick a shape or size of pot I roughly want to make, throw it, and then the development comes through altering the shape as I create each pot until I am happy. I will have batches of pots that are of similar vein but not the same so each are individual.  These are more typical of my vases and display bowls.

Describe a typical day in your studio

Each day is different which is what I love, overlapping jobs in the studio has a lot to do with timing and waiting. If one thing is not ready then I might start something else. So just say I had thrown some mugs the day before. I would come in take out the cylinders check if they are the right consistency to trim,if so I would cover them up set aside and pull the handles. Then go back and trim the bottom of the mugs so they are ready for the handles to be attached. Depending on the warmth in the studio the handles are normally still damp so I would either leave them out to “set up” or cover the pots and the handles in plastic for the next day, my handles need to be quite sturdy before I attach them. This would probably take until lunchtime depending on the amount I have to make. After lunch if the handles were packed away I’d either start throwing new pieces or the kiln might need loading or if I had some pots that needed glazing do that. It literally changes every day. 

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