Flat open shapes provide an inviting canvas for slip and glaze, colour and surface experimentation. Making and decorating plates is splendid occupation. Mine come in several shapes and sizes, from side plates and dinner plates up to large servers. Much of this group of work is set at a tilt in the wood-kiln, to promote gentle, gravitational movement of glaze and pooling in and around applied motifs. Pasta plates usually feature side... Read More
This group of objects celebrate the multifarious rituals of drinking, and includes mugs of many shapes and sizes, tea bowls, beakers and tankards. They are among the most important to me, and are perhaps the most intimate for the contact they enjoy with their users. I cherish these pots in use at home, along with others made by colleagues and fellow potters. The best of them, reveal their innermost character and a depth of enjoyment, but only through sustained use. For this reason, the ergonomics of these pots have been... Read More
The inherent sculptural and functional demands of making and firing jugs, does not diminish with time. The successful marriage of it's many components, foot, belly, neck, lip and handle, is an irresistible and sustaining challenge. The smallest pourers I make are handle-free and often triangulated, which offers comfortable security in the hand. My largest jugs are sculptural in size and their role, for the most part, ornamental; in the sense that they are more plausibly used to augment the design of an interior or hold flowers, than to serve water or wine. Having said which, the cider drinking enthusiasm rekindled in the surrounding counties... Read More
My love for food, that is making, sharing and eating it, directly inspires my clay work. Many of the pots that fall into the category of baking or oven to tableware, have been inspired by particular recipes or commissions. These include pie and lasagne dishes in different sizes and shapes; oval, rectangular and square. Also smaller pots like ramekins which are ideal for sweet or savoury; creme caramel or oven-coddled eggs. For oven ware I use a clay body composed of higher sand and grog content than my regular clay, in order for the pots to cope with the thermal shock of a domestic oven. Care must still be taken to avoid extreme... Read More
Tile-making forms only a small part of my output. However, over the years I have undertaken several projects with schools and pre-school nurseries along with private commissions on small or large scale, and across different firing temperatures and colour ranges. I currently make a limited but unique range of salt-glaze tiles, which can be made to order in different slip and glaze colours. There are usually batches of small 3" wall tiles in... Read More
Only a spout short of a teapot, lidded jars present a congenial challenge in the harmonisation of their individual components; body, handles and lid. From sugar bowl to bread bin, I make them in various shapes and sizes, ideal for storing a wide range of dried foods. I am happy to accept commissions for bespoke sizes to fit a particular purpose. If you are interested in viewing jars that are currently available or would like to commission one, please use the contact form. These forms overlap with... Read More
The essence of most of my work is very celebratory, especially the larger pots. The group of work singled out here, is particularly related to decorative or sculptural ideas that augment a table setting for a special meal, or a window cill, or to commemorate a special occasion. Candle-holders and large serving dishes for example. Many new ideas have grown from relationships with regular customers and collectors, where an idea for... Read More
This page is a credit to photographer J.P.Kavanagh. Aside from the studio shots of some of the pots, which are my own, he has over several months, recorded a photographic diary of my process, from dry powdered clay to fired pots unpacked from the kiln into the studio. His creative pitch, enthusiasm and skills have made a significant contribution to this website, for which I'd like to express my gratitude and wholehearted appreciation. In addition... Read More
