About me
My work and Inspiration I am a ceramicist, creating thoughtful, hand-made objects to bring the unique into your home - from functional vessels to be enjoyed when you use them to purely decorative pieces for your visual joy and one-offs that explore themes of personal interest. I believe a home needs a touch of the hand-made to balance the world of mass production that surrounds us all. The thought, skill and unique details found in carefully crafted hand-made items add character and individuality to the places where we live. In keeping with my previous career as an environmental scientist, I continue to be inspired by the natural environment and driven to expose the tensions that exist between human society and the natural world. In all my work, a portion of the piece is left unglazed so that you, the viewer, can connect with the bare clay surface, a reminder of the material the object is made from; a little piece of earth. My work has been selected for exhibitions organised by Morley College at Southwark Cathedral display cases and my tiles are on permanent display in Morley College, Kingston-Upon-Thames Guildhall and the ‘Morley College & Waterloo, Past Present and Future’ installation on York Road, London. My work was also selected for New Designers 2018. My journey My first contact with clay was in the fields surrounding my childhood home in Cape Town where my sister, Elaine, and I would dig up raw clay and make all kinds of fanciful things. My first ceramics teacher was my mother, Barbara; she was instrumental in my learning to throw vessels on the wheel by patiently demonstrating the subtle movements needed to master the clay and by encouraging me to play, experiment and refine my work. I worked in her studio whenever I could after school and during university breaks and sold my work at various markets - Constantia Craft market and Rondebosch Potters Market and later from a handcraft retailer in the vibrant neighbourhood, Observatory, in Cape Town. My mother’s attention to detail, artistry and thoughtful approach to her practice influences my work enormously. Later, I moved on to throwing platters and bowls in red earthenware inspired by colourful decorative pottery I’d seen while travelling in Portugal and Spain. I had a break from the world of ceramics as I embarked on my environmental career, met my husband to be, David, travelled around the world, relocated to London, got busy working as an environmental consultant and started a family. However, I was constantly drawn back to ceramics over the years; wherever I travelled, I sought out ceramicists and their work, admiring both artistry and the technical talent. In 2014, I took this to the next level and enrolled in a local ceramics class in order to reconnect fully with clay, a medium I love. I haven’t looked back. I have since attended advanced ceramics classes with Suliman Saba at The Institute and then for the past 5 years at Morley College under the excellent tuition of Duncan Hoosen and Annette Welch. My clay journey continues and has led to my building a garden studio in North London, which was completed just as we went into lockdown in March 2020. I’m loving working with a material that gives me endless opportunity for creativity and expression - I hope you will find as much joy in my pieces as I have had in making them. Awards London Potters Members Exhibition - Judges Commendation Award Shows, Fairs and Exhibitions Fair in the Square (Highgate, London) 2024 Handmade in Highgate - November 2023 Potfest - Melton Mowbray - November 2023 Fair in the Square (Highgate, London) - June 2023 London Potters Members Exhibition - November 2022 Oxford Ceramic Fair - October 2022 Handmade in Highgate - September 2022 Handmade in Highgate - April 2022 Handmade in Highgate - November 2021 Local Makers Market (Stoke Newington) - September 2021 Morley College Past and Present Exhibition (York Road Street Pillar display of tiles) - 2019 New Designers Islington Business Design Centre - 2018 Southwark Cathedral showcases - 2018 Southwark Cathedral showcases - 2017 |