About
I am a ceramicist based in rural Kent, England. I have always been interested in mythology, legends, folklore, circus and dance. My work explores these themes with characters and creatures such as mermaids, minotaurs animals and dancers. Cheeky, fun, flirty, strong, independent, confident, unapologetic and gloriously unashamed of their bodies!
I have no formal art training but I have always enjoyed art in many forms. The benefit of growing up in London was that there were plenty of galleries to just go and wander around. I enjoyed Art at school but was steered towards academic subjects over creative ones. However, I did get to try a number of arts subjects including ceramics and a seed was planted.
Further down the line the universe delivered in the form of a local 5 day course “Handbuilding animals and people in Clay” in my local town, run by the amazing Marie Prett at the Singing Soul Gallery.
I am now lucky enough to have a studio and a kiln of my own with work on sale in several local galleries including Ethel Loves Me in Rye and Greenfinch Gallery in Ticehurst.
I like there to be a tangible connection, interaction or sense of communication between the pieces I make with two or more figures, e.g. whales or turtles with mermaids. I believe all living things are connected, it is our forgetting of this, that causes humans to act in a way that is not sustainable and fails to take into account the impact of our actions on animals, plants and the planet. People often tell me that my creations capture an attitude or expression. I love it when someone interprets a sense of the personality of a piece or what they might’ve been thinking. A recent studio visitor who is originally from China told me how prevalent body-shaming of women and girls was there, and they loved the freedom my work made them feel. I’ve found I can sometimes think myself out of things, but clay has shown me that try and try again, is the best approach and practice really is the way through. Above all I enjoy the process of seeing who wants to emerge from the clay, and I suppose my mind. I hope you can feel the joy I get from creating these pieces, which are after all, meant to be fun and make you smile.