STATEMENT

My work has its roots in the landscape of my birth.

It speaks of the earth, sea and sky that surround me

on this Welsh Jurassic coast.

The process is an intense act in response to being in the world

and how I articulate that experience.

Pieces reference landscapes, but are not intended as direct representations but rather, by association, through sensory experience and memory.

My eye is drawn to pattern and pinpoints of excitement within the environment; subtle textures of windblown sand, a particular pleasing linear aspect of the rock strata, a crystalline punctuation or roll of foam across a wet pebble. They exist as part of the ongoing process of seasonal change, tidal flow and the slow, imperceptible erosion of this age old coast; all overarched by the most remarkable skies of ever changing cloud and atmospheric conditions.

Originally a Printmaker, I have evolved a method of applying some of those skills when creating my pieces.

I work with a range of simple forms but employ the same process of gestural, instinctive mark making and colour palette. Each series refers to a particular place or geological process which excites me. Each piece is unique yet when placed in groups, a dialogue begins.

The clay I use is a soft white earthenware which echoes the colour and purity of a clean sheet of handmade paper. Black stain becomes the ink which floods textures and creates tone. Pieces are unglazed which allows them to absorb light but details are enhanced through waxing. Final firings result in a durability that will outlast its maker, thus appealing to a sense of ‘my place’ within time.

I hope to evoke a curiosity in the viewer, to draw the hand and eye and provoke some shared emotional response that occurs for me when experiencing the extraordinary rhythm and patterning that occurs in the natural world.