Artist Statement
I am a thinker, an engineer, a project manager, a problem solver, a teacher and most of all a ceramic artist. I employ skills in all these areas to successful fulfil my creative ideas and compliment my clay knowledge and technical skills.
I am driven by process, enjoying the process throughout every phase of the work – designing, making handmade paper clay, making work, glazing, all the way through to the final processes of assembling and mounting work.
Since 2011, I have been using handmade paper clay, taking advantage of the reduced weight characteristic to make wall mounted pieces. Using a modular approach I make larger pieces by combining smaller elements.
Currently I am concentrating on two bodies of work, triptychs with colourful matt glazes and black and white raku using primarily transparent glaze. Nature and geological formations influence the abstract textures and colours of the triptychs while geometric lines and shapes strongly influence the raku pieces.
Recently I’ve started making free-standing, non-figurative sculptural work using paper clay with a variety of additional materials such as hay and metal.
Throughout my ceramic career, I have been inspired by two quotes. First, from Winston Churchill: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm”, especially useful since I constantly push the limits of the medium. Second, from Peter Drucker: “The only way to predict the future is to create it”, which fits not only in the business world but also in the creative world.