I am very excited to be exhibiting at Oxfordshire Art Weeks for the second time, again under the banner of the Watlington group of artists. Last year was my first Art Week experience but due to the lovely welcome I received, I soon felt at home among the talented group of Watlington artists and craftspeople.
I am lucky to have my own studio at home where I make mostly items for the home from a variety of clays and glazes. I am a bit of a magpie and look for inspiration everywhere from flea markets to river beds. Colour is very important to me and I find inspiration from fashion colour trends to melting Italian gelato!
I am very grateful to the Badcocks for letting me exhibit in the historic hallway of their family home at 11 High St, Watlington. I am also pleased to say I will once again be sharing the space with my friend and fellow potter Jessica Sarson.
From an early age I have loved creating and designing - one of my favourite hobbies as a child was making dolls clothes, matchbox furniture and toy gardens.
I studied fashion design at Art College in London and then worked as a fashion buyer for various High St retailers. My buying role took me around the world to far flung factories and fashion shows in major cities - always on the look out for fresh, and exciting designs.
Pottery started as a hobby - the perfect balance to a hectic working life, and I soon fell in love with clay. Developing the skills to make something both useful and beautiful was an added bonus.
Following a few years of potting on other peoples wheels I took the huge decision to set up my own garden studio. I now have so many ideas I think they will keep me occupied as far ahead as I can imagine. I love experimenting with my own glaze recipes and with different methods of application. I have a wide range of creative influences, and continually evolve my colour stories and shapes through constant trialling and experimentation.
I love the thought that clay and glazes have been around for thousands of years and ultimately connect to the earth and our history. It is lovely to feel a tiny part of that.