East Dorset Potters

Path and Inspiration

It was a day's visit to Poole Pottery from my Junior School in Essex which sparked my interest in clay. It was to be another ten years before I immersed myself in the wonders of this medium while training to be a teacher of art and design.

Eventually, my range of pots, platters and planters evolved from the experience of living close to the beauty of the Dorset coastline. The natural elements to be found here - fossils, shells, driftwood, rock pools etc continue to inspire me along with the soft, undulating curves of the hills and cliffs.

Process and Practice

Most of my work is made from stoneware clay. I have large collections of found items from the shoreline - shells, pebbles, fossils, driftwood and seaweed. I use these to impress in the soft clay, which forms the background for each piece of work. I then sculpt these natural forms and with the addition of fish and other crustaceans, produce an encrusted and three dimensional surface. Underglazes, oxides and stains are applied before biscuit firing and then each piece is hand painted with glaze and fired to 1240 degrees C.