'Clay is such an interesting medium to work with. Take a trip to any ceramics fair and it soon becomes evident the possibilities are endless. In 2006 I was lucky to be able to take early retirement from my previous career as dentist and take up an art degree . The degree was in 3D Contemporary Craft and during that time I became increasingly drawn to working with clay, graduating in 2009 with a First Class Honours Degree from York University. I then set up a studio in York where I made handcrafted ceramic pieces until moving to Sheffield in 2013 and now I work from a studio in my garden.

 

For some time now I have been mistreating clay. I work almost entirely in stoneware focusing on creating surface patterns using the combination of several different clay bodies. I produce surface pattern by laminating the different clay bodies together in a thick slab and then after the addition of coloured slips the clay is stretched and slashed to create the surface pattern. The resulting patterned slab is then used to make a piece. Work is seldom glazed as I don't want to obscure the surface pattern I have worked hard to achieve. If you look hard at my work you might find a reference to glass clad buildings, tree bark, quilting, and trompe l'oeil, but as my work progresses these are more difficult to see.'