ARTIST STATEMENT 

I am an artist making sculpture, mainly in porcelain and other fireable materials. Working by hand with materials is completely absorbing for me. I spent 20 years in industry, working mainly in construction and engineering materials and solutions, and visiting a factory is still one of my favourite things. Finding ways to work with my materials to create specific forms, problem solving and adapting to the challenges that each new project brings are all central to my process. 

The dominant interests that keep returning in my work are the unseen forces of the earth and their effects, such as dark matter, the movement of water and the electromagnetic spectrum. This interest includes the idea of thin places, dowsing, ley lines and connecting with old wisdom.

My making processes involve several steps. Sculptures begin in cardboard and modroc maquettes before moving into a full size plaster or clay model. A plaster mould is cast from the model. When the mould is dry, the sculpture or component can be slip cast using liquid porcelain. In ceramics, slip casting from a mould normally guarantees that shapes and forms can be faithfully replicated time after time. My processes alter that expectation, aiming for every piece to be different and for the materials to be an active partner. In my Fluid Porcelain works, liquid clay is gently poured down a mould, allowed to take its own course down the surface and around obstacles. In my Earthbound sculptures, liquid porcelain is mixed with metal needles, resulting in the piece forming its own configuration of cracks and fissures during the firing process.    

Public engagement in clay is an important area of my practice. I devised a collaborative participatory making project, FLOCK, for Upland Arts Development. FLOCK is being delivered to schools 2024-2026 where over 1,000 children and young people will make ceramic birds. The project will culminate in an installation of the FLOCK in May 2026.