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.

• 
  • Two vessels from my degree show, Camberwell 1979
    
• 
  • Looking out from the studio into the garden
    
• 
  • One of my first wall vessels, shown at Nicola Jackson's Open House, May 1995
    
• 
  • Design drawing for three related wall pieces, Zizzi
    
• 
  • Three linked wall pieces in situ, Zizzi Oxford
    

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 at last I had the chance to set up my own studio in my cellar. We had to take the door off to get the kiln in, and the low-slung beams still catch taller visitors out, but to me it’s a great space. 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 ceramic work. In fact photography has become such a fundamental part of what I do, I have included a number of my recent images for you to browse here should you wish.

Looking to the future, I aim to fully establish my ceramic practice with a more extensive programme of exhibitions and commissions. Watch this space!