Artist Statement
I started my love affair with clay when I attended a night school class in 2000 and I haven’t looked back since! I moved to the High Peak in 2015 and have been inspired by its beauty ever since. I love the way the landscape changes through the seasons, the colours, the textures and the light. I am also interested in how the land is used and how wildlife conservation is imbedded into the local community.
I begin my making process by putting on my walking boots and going for a walk in the local area, to take in the environment, the sounds, the light and the mood before setting to it in my old stone built studio in the back garden, where I can easily while away an afternoon (or a day!) being creative in my own space.
I interpret all of these inspirations and ideas into predominantly hand-built ceramics, using stoneware clay. I use a variety of techniques including making items from slabs of clay, using pre-formed press moulds and creating larger items from coils of clay. I love to use natural things to create patterns such as leaves, twigs and moss, and capture the colours and tones using matt natural stains to decorate my finished pieces.
I have recently extended my range and introduced characterful animal sculptures such as my hand-built pigs. These are lovingly handmade from stoneware and fired with a high gloss finish. They all have their own personality which develops during the making process . . . . and yes I name them individually! I know where each one of them now lives and it is like selling your children!
Peak Vision
Six individual artists are exhibiting at this venue under the newly formed name of Peak Vision
