The magic of making and firing pots begins here, with the material itself. Mud! I use a couple of commercial clays, including Limoges porcelain. However, my main stoneware throwing clays are blended and processed from dry powdered ingredients on site. This process requires considerable space and some basic equipment, and we are lucky to enjoy both at the Wobage studios. The various clays, along with other associated ingredients, are bought... Read More
I am resolutely drawn towards fusing my artistic exploration with eminently utilitarian design. Making and firing functional pots, which are used everyday and which are only fully realised in the hands of their user; this is my chief source of inspiration. As my vision for a set of values and aesthetic constantly and gently shifts, so the body of production grows and changes. I draw deeply from the tools, materials and processes of... Read More
My principal tool of production is the potter's wheel. I built my momentum wheel not long after graduating, inspired by similar wheels that I'd seen visiting various studio potters in the UK, and also an article written by the late Patrick Sargent. It is driven by hand to begin with using a broom handle socketed into the wheel-head, or later in the process of throwing larger pots, my foot advances the speed of rotation. There is a very natural... Read More
Almost more than clay itself, it was the plain raw slips and glazes and the creative potential they offered, along with their transformation in firing, which first really captured my imagination for the subject. Submerging a full armful of the gorgeous stuff is only the beginning; thick, creamy and smooth, the slip is stirred and paddled to ensure an even liquid suspension before it's use. In common with generations of artistic endeavour before... Read More
Salt-glaze is the dynamic process I use to decorate and glaze my pots. Common salt along with sodium carbonate (washing soda), is added during kiln firing to the fireboxes. The chamber at this point is white hot, approximately 1200ºC. The heat of the firebox forces the salts to vaporise into their gaseous elements. It is the sodium element which combines with the clay itself and any slips applied to it, to create a range of beautiful and serendipitous... Read More
Wood-firing forms a vital and intimate aspect to my making. Using wood as a kiln fuel invites an elaborate set of challenges, both physically and intellectually. The preparation, the pre-heat, the firing itself, then cooling and the first glimpses of a kiln-load of hot pots: the seductive colours and iridescence of the resulting fired surfaces make it very addictive. Aesthetically, it is the fly ashes from the burning fuel, which add a serendipitous... Read More