ARTISAN CERAMICS
SCULPTURE
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
Clay is so extraordinarily versatile. I love exploring the limits of its technical properties - and testing my ingenuity - as I breathe life into imaginary creatures. In this sense, I regard my sculptural work as clay "animation", in all senses of the word.
These fantastical sculptures are the direct descendants of the creatures I so enjoyed making as a child... some humorous or whimsical, others malevolent or enigmatic, often fusing strange mechanical joints and parts with organic and animal elements. The story of each emerges as I experiment with stoneware and oxide devices to build it. All aim to be appealingly idiosyncratic and unconventional.
Above all, my figures invite close looking and re-looking and are as much about their individual personalities as about viewer reaction.
POTS
Most thrown pieces are also stoneware with a range of finishes, both oxides and glazes. Many have quirky details - be they tails, piercings, roots or bling! A particular favourite is volcanic glaze to create the illusion of the sea shore, crustaceans or barnacles.
MY STORY & PHILOSOPHY
A LIFETIME IN CLAY
I'm captivated by ceramic creation. Whether it's thrown vessels or hand-built, sculptural pieces, I never tire of exploring the versatility and diversity of clay. Every piece takes on individual attributes and features. It's an iterative and an organic process - and marvellously addictive.
MAKING MY MARK
Sculptures and vessels are all one-offs, though I've developed ranges and 'families' with similar motifs, structural characteristics and idiosyncracies. On the sculptures, textures suggest musculature and physical detail, like skin and scales, melded together with mechanical joints, spouts and hinges, underpinned by a clay skeleton. Visual clues hint at each figure's character and back-story. The pots are also quirky and, in their finishes and design details, hold individual appeal enhancing their functional form.
My work has been exhibited at the ICF and displayed and sold in regional galleries and shows. I work from my North Oxfordshire studio and am happy to accept commissions and welcome visitors.
NEWS & EVENTS
I'm one of four Featured Artists in the forthcoming Metamorphosis exhibition - the first summer show at the newly-opened Spencer House Gallery in the heart of the Georgian town of Tetbury.
Alongside painter Grenville Moore, pen and ink artist Cally Trench and textile artist Vivienne Beaumont, I'll be very pleased to help represent British contemporary ceramic art in this event. There are dozens of other impressive artists too. Take a look at spencerhousegallery.co.uk and Instagam spencer_house_gallery.
CERAMECH
Pieces vary in price from under £50 up to several hundred, depending on complexity and size.
Please contact me for more information or to request a commission.
Visitors are welcome, by appointment, at my studio.
A: Studio A, Hornton, Oxfordshire, OX15 6BT
T: 01295 670795