I make hand-built decorative clay vessels that use the pinch and coil method. The shape of my hand, and the mood I am in, influence the finished pieces and I seek to capture the time that this slow method of making encapsulates.

photo by Sarah Weal

Photo by Sarah Weal

I am an artist living in the Weald region of East Sussex. I respond to the countryside around me, but also to the rhythms of everyday life. I started making art in my thirties whilst my children were little, and the constant juggle of raising a family, working, and making art became an important part of my artistic inspiration. I re-trained; studying at West Dean College. This home from home full of like-minded people made me realise that this is something that I should and can do.

I handbuild ceramic vessels, smoke firing them using materials gathered on walks, predominantly bracken, thistledown, dock seeds and dandelion stems; or use dug Sussex clay alongside a white or black stoneware.

These ceramics are often accompanied by cloths, carefully patched and stitched from calico which has been dyed using foraged materials. Slow making, seeking to capture a time, a place and a feeling.