Artists Statement

During 2005 and after much deliberation I decided to resign from all my teaching duties. This was a very difficult decision for me to make as I had always taught in some capacity since my college days. Now approaching my 40th year, I feel it is time for me to press ahead and concentrate all my renewed energy into producing my own work, with a new found maturity and self-confidence.

Current Work

My pots are built from grogged terracotta clay; each piece is started as a pinch pot. The clay manipulation and the gradual growth of the clay walls is all part of a slow deliberate structuring of form, which allows me time and space to reflect upon each stage in the pots development. After the piece has dried to leather hard, it is refined and burnished with a variety of basic clay modelling tools. When thoroughly dry each piece is biscuit fired, this is followed by another firing which involves the pots being placed into tightly sealed saggers and fired in a gas kiln.

Career Background

Born Stourbridge 1967

Education:
Studied Ceramics at Derbyshire College of Higher Education.1985-1987.

After completing my studies at Derby, I developed a workshop at Bewdley, Worcestershire. Mainly producing Slipware. All my work was wheel thrown, with commemorative and large slip trailed plates my speciality.

I have always been fascinated by studio pottery in all its many forms, so to produce work other than Slipware was always a natural progression for me.

Selected Exhibitions:
Bakers dozen, Roundhouse gallery, Tutbury. Nov 1990
Slipware, Bewdley museum, Worcestershire. April 1992.
5 ways in clay, Living gallery, Stourbridge. Nov 2000.
Threads, Living gallery, Stourbridge. April 2004.
Fired earth, Quaile gallery, Bewdley, June 2006.
 
Employment:
Production thrower in working pottery Italy 1987.
Royal Worcester Spode Ltd, ornamental castor 1988-1990

Teaching:
South Staffordshire adult education centre; Pottery tutor p/t 1990-2000
Kidderminster College; Ceramics tutor, p/t 1993-1995
Dudley College; Ceramics tutor, p/t 1994-2005.
Halesowen College; Ceramics tutor, p/t 2001-2005.