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Working with porcelain is a complex challenge but for me, a far more rewarding experience than creating an image on a flat plane. Using simple shapes I seek to produce an object that will create a lasting impression. I have no desire to produce transitory fashion and believe that an enduring effect is far more satisfying. Refined is good but for me it’s important to retain some evidence of ‘hand made’ to establish a personal note -’from me to you’ - this is a more intimate communication. The feel of a finished piece is very important to me. I love contrasts, like silk against linen and as with fabric, I believe it’s possible to pair different ceramic surfaces together with stunning results.
My work is thrown and turned and sometimes joined. Rims may be re-shaped after wetting. The whiteness of the porcelain acts as a 3D canvas onto which I apply stained slips and glazes. I paint these directly onto the raw piece using a soft brush. The designs are achieved by latex resist or sgraffito. The pieces are all fired once only (or raw fired) to cones 8-9 in an oxidised electric kiln.
Single firing has always been an important aspect of my work. Working on green ware, I find, is a very tactile experience - the pots retain a feeling of being ‘alive’ right up until they are placed in the kiln. I have never taken to progressing the dead, ‘carcass like’ pots that a bisque firing delivers up.
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