TABLEWARE
When I came to ceramics as an adult, after a decade-long gap, a plate was the first thing I made. In those early days, when clay was still a hobby for me, I loved making things for my home, and as gifts. To imagine something you'd like to exist, and then to create it, is an incredibly satisfying feeling - and when it comes to functional ceramics, tableware is something we all use multiple times a day. For me, plates also represented a real blank canvas. I like simple clean shapes, no rims, no form-based embellishments with a pure focus on the surface itself.
Over the years, some of my decorative approaches, glazes and finishes have come and gone, others I have continued to use, develop and iterate. Over the last 10 years, I've moved from bright and shiny glazes to more muted tones and a satin/matte finish. However, throughout that time I've been interested in brushwork as a decorative approach - from sharp and distinct brushstrokes on a plate, to gentle washes and nuanced variation, scumbled and blended 'cloudy' finishes. For me, it is a perfect combination of process and finish - I really enjoy using brushes in this way, experimenting and refining, exploring what is possible, mining the seam where instinct and intent meet serendipity.
I have always seen my tableware as a growing 'collection of collections' - with pieces designed to mix and match even as the finishes evolve. I like to pair and group pieces, mixing contrasting shapes and sizes in colours which complement and tone in together.
Of course tableware is generally used for food, but I love to see how my customers and collectors use the work in other ways- sometimes to sort and keep jewellery in, sometimes in the bathroom for a collection of shells or a lovely bar of handmade soap. Most flatteringly of all - plates hung on walls or propped on mantels, treated as art works in their own right.
I have almost exclusively used black clay for my tableware, a deeply pigmented clay, with a bit of texture to it, sourced from Spain. Paler clays are a more classic choice for tableware, but I gravitated towards black clay from very early on. I generally glaze only the inside of pieces, and the blunt edges I give to my plates and bowls create a clean black 'frame' for the glazed interior. I like the contrast the black gives to my glazes, and the depth it allows with the underlying brushstrokes. I've never been one for flat, even finishes!
I have used additional decorative approaches over the years - painted patterns, speckling, drips, layering, painted borders, sgraffito. You can see more images of that previous work on the archive page. My current collections are posted on my instagram account and are regularly available for purchase in my online shop updates.