Following a lifelong love of all things clay, and having studied Ceramics at Havering college and UCA Farnham, I set up my own practice in January 2020.
The theme of my work has been influenced by my involvement in counselling and pastoral work. On our personal journeys we have all experienced both struggles and victories in varying measures and I acknowledge that we can encounter both times of real brokenness but also of deep healing.
I make each vessel to represent a 'life story'. They embody the scars and marks of our struggles yet show the hope and possibility of joy and restoration.
My current vessels are thrown in white earthenware clay which I alter and mark with various indentations and also embed various pieces into the surface. I decorate them using coloured slips, oxides and underglazes and randomly apply glaze. The abstract marks and decoration symbolise the significant events we encounter and acknowledge the lasting impact they can have. I also add gilt to the surface which is a reference to the Japanese art of 'Kintsugi" the restoring of a broken vessel with gold. This has become a much-loved metaphor for our lives, a reminder to stay hopeful when things fall apart and to celebrate all that we overcome.
The multi layered surfaces are engaging and tactile, inviting you to run your hands over the pieces and experience the rough, the smooth and the surprises. From the various viewpoints of each piece a different part of the story unfolds and as you continue to look you may even find a story of your own.
About
The theme of my work is primarily about hope in the face of adversity. It has been influenced by my involvement in counselling and pastoral work, but is also a cathartic journey to understand and process my own history.
Each vessel represents a 'life story'. They embody the scars and marks of our struggles yet show the hope and possibility of recovery and joy. The abstract marks and decoration symbolise the significant events we encounter and acknowledge the lasting impact they can have.
The vessels are individual and thrown in white earthenware which are then altered and marked with various indentations and small pieces are added to the surface. They are decorated using coloured slips, oxides and underglazes with a randomly applied glaze.
Gilt is also added as a reference to the Japanese art of 'Kintsugi" the restoring of a broken vessel with gold. This has become a much-loved metaphor for our lives, a reminder to stay hopeful when things fall apart and to celebrate all that we overcome.
The multi layered surfaces are tactile, inviting you to run your hands over the pieces and experience the rough, the smooth and the surprises.
‘Kintsugi is not the art of erasure – the invisible mend, the erasing of a mistake – but rather the marking of a loss.’ - Edmund de Waal
