The story so far

I started out as a ceramicist back in 1976, when I joined the degree course at Camberwell School of Art. It was an amazingly fertile creative environment: in a department led by Ian Auld, we were exposed to the ideas of a huge number of visiting lecturers. My tutors were Colin Pearson and Ewan Henderson, my fellow students Angus Suttie, Sara Radstone and Henry Pim, all of whose work is held in major international ceramic collections.

We worked long into the evening, debated ideas, pinched each others rejects from the bin, partied in the kiln room, went on trips to museums and, thanks to Angus's inspiration, even had a ceramics department theatre trip.

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  • Two vessels from my degree show, Camberwell 1979
    
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  • Looking out from the studio into the garden
    
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  • One of my first wall vessels, shown at Nicola Jackson's Open House, May 1995
    
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  • Shoreline
    
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  • Autumn Trees
    

After leaving college, I begged and borrowed space in other people's kilns and continued to pot sporadically, but more of my energies went into teaching and bringing up my young daughters. In 1986, I took on the running of the pottery at Brighton, Hove and Sussex VI Form College. This immensely popular facility will be remembered by many, as it was used by over 200 children, sixth formers and adult students each week. My termly clay order was over a thousand kilos, and we fired four different stoneware and earthenware clays, as well as mixing all our own glazes and slips.

In 1994 a house move became possible, and I was able to set up a studio in my cellar. I have been exhibiting regularly in the Brighton Festival and in local galleries ever since. I have also undertaken a number of commissions, including one for a series of wall pieces for the Zizzi restaurant chain, and several large-scale garden designs for private clients.

In the year 2000 I decided to enter the new millennium with a look at new technology. As a post-graduate student at Brighton University, I discovered the frustrations and wonders of Photoshop and multi-media programmes. This has fed back into my photography and art teaching at Brighton and Hove High School, as well as into my own creative practice. In fact photography has become such a fundamental part of what I do, I have included a number of my images for you to browse here should you wish.

Entering another new decade, 2010 has also been a time for change. Travelling more, I have been keen to develop work that is more portable, so have been working in a variety of mixed media rather than clay. My new work for this year's Brighton Festival showcases this new direction.