Before officially entering the world of ceramics by studying at Clay College in Middleport, I struggled to find a career that could keep my interest. I studied Japanese and philosophy at university, followed by law and after finishing my studies I worked in law, then finance and then advertising, trying hard to find an industry I wanted to build a career in. All the while I would go a pottery co-operative in the evenings, which was set up in a disused biscuit factory in Bermondsey.
After several years, the biscuit factory was sold to developers and the community dispersed. It was then I decided to take the plunge and build up a collection of second hand pottery tools, equipment and chemicals, before finally renting a small garage space to work in. I would rush home from work every evening to spend hours in my workshop, learning, experimenting and playing.
It was during this time that I came to the realisation that working with the earth, fire and raw materials is something I wanted to dedicate my life to rather than just my evenings. I spent nearly a year looking and applying for apprenticeship opportunities before eventually being fortunate enough to secure a place in the first cohort to attend Clay College.
Since graduating, it's been a rollercoaster, working with TV and film companies, both a consultant and as a maker, as well as exhibiting at several shows. I'm now working as the tutor in UCA's ceramics department, which has allowed me to explore some of my ideas and become energised by the enthusiasm and creativity of the students during a very difficult time.
I am a complete pyromaniac and I love seeing what happens to objects and materials when they are heated to nearly 1300'C. Whenever I visit a new place, I'll often leave with a handful of interesting rocks with the intention of finding out what colours and qualities they have once they're fired. I enjoy thinking about the geological processes they have already undergone over millions of years since they were last in a molten state and trying to predict what the outcome of the firing will be.
This is how I view the firing of my own work, as a geological process that I am able to replicate and I strive to capture the drama and transformative power of the gas kiln within the pots themselves.
The clay that I use toasts up to a purple-orange-brown where it is licked by the flames, when it would otherwise be a pale yellow. The blue glaze that I use on most of my work took nearly the entire two years of my studying at Clay College to perfect. When its applied thinner its becomes a denim blue satin glaze and when its applied thicker, it transforms into a glossy inky blue grey. If not for the flames of the gas kiln, the glaze would be an overwhelming primary blue colour, but thankfully the flames change the bright blue into shades of grey and green as well, darkening the glaze overall while also pulling through rusty flecks causing by miniscule particles of iron present in the clay.
Most of all I love the unpredictable nature of the gas kiln, or what I like to call "controlled chaos". Whilst I enjoy the technical aspects of ceramics and problem solving, there is no way to predict the outcome of a gas kiln firing with 100% accuracy. The flames travel through the kiln in the way that they want to and while they can be encouraged to pass over work in a particular way during a firing, they cannot be compelled. This is why the excitement of opening a gas kiln is like Christmas morning. You can have an idea of what you might get, you might not get what you wanted but other times, if you're really lucky, its so much better than you could have imagined.
After several years, the biscuit factory was sold to developers and the community dispersed. It was then I decided to take the plunge and build up a collection of second hand pottery tools, equipment and chemicals, before finally renting a small garage space to work in. I would rush home from work every evening to spend hours in my workshop, learning, experimenting and playing.
It was during this time that I came to the realisation that working with the earth, fire and raw materials is something I wanted to dedicate my life to rather than just my evenings. I spent nearly a year looking and applying for apprenticeship opportunities before eventually being fortunate enough to secure a place in the first cohort to attend Clay College.
Since graduating, it's been a rollercoaster, working with TV and film companies, both a consultant and as a maker, as well as exhibiting at several shows. I'm now working as the tutor in UCA's ceramics department, which has allowed me to explore some of my ideas and become energised by the enthusiasm and creativity of the students during a very difficult time.
I am a complete pyromaniac and I love seeing what happens to objects and materials when they are heated to nearly 1300'C. Whenever I visit a new place, I'll often leave with a handful of interesting rocks with the intention of finding out what colours and qualities they have once they're fired. I enjoy thinking about the geological processes they have already undergone over millions of years since they were last in a molten state and trying to predict what the outcome of the firing will be.
This is how I view the firing of my own work, as a geological process that I am able to replicate and I strive to capture the drama and transformative power of the gas kiln within the pots themselves.
The clay that I use toasts up to a purple-orange-brown where it is licked by the flames, when it would otherwise be a pale yellow. The blue glaze that I use on most of my work took nearly the entire two years of my studying at Clay College to perfect. When its applied thinner its becomes a denim blue satin glaze and when its applied thicker, it transforms into a glossy inky blue grey. If not for the flames of the gas kiln, the glaze would be an overwhelming primary blue colour, but thankfully the flames change the bright blue into shades of grey and green as well, darkening the glaze overall while also pulling through rusty flecks causing by miniscule particles of iron present in the clay.
Most of all I love the unpredictable nature of the gas kiln, or what I like to call "controlled chaos". Whilst I enjoy the technical aspects of ceramics and problem solving, there is no way to predict the outcome of a gas kiln firing with 100% accuracy. The flames travel through the kiln in the way that they want to and while they can be encouraged to pass over work in a particular way during a firing, they cannot be compelled. This is why the excitement of opening a gas kiln is like Christmas morning. You can have an idea of what you might get, you might not get what you wanted but other times, if you're really lucky, its so much better than you could have imagined.
Kansai Gaidai University, Japan (2008)My foundation in clay is rooted in Japanese culture, as I first learnt how to make pottery at university in Japan, while studying Japanese language as part of my degree in Philosophy and Japanese Studied. It was there that I learnt to value handmade ceramics, and came away with a whole range of traditional Japanese making and glazing techniques that I still use in my practise today.
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Clay College, Stoke on Trent (2017)In September 2017, I was accepted on the two-year, full-time Clay College Diploma course at Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
There, I learnt traditional English studio pottery practises from the hands of visiting master potters. In addition, Clay College hosted visiting potters from around the world. |
Wedgwood (2019)During my studies at Clay College, I worked part-time at Wedgwood, in their factory in Stoke-on-Trent. I had the opportunity to hone my throwing skills, while working for a high-end ceramics manufacturer.
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The Great Pottery Throw Down (2019, 2020 & 2021)After graduating Clay College, I worked on the third and fourth series of the show as a pottery consultant and technician.
This was an amazing opportunity to experience the fast paced world of television by working on an iconic pottery program with some amazing potters. |
University for the Creative Arts
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