I am a figurative ceramic sculptor living in North Wales with BA (Hons) Applied Art degree from Glyndwr University, 2009.
I have returned to working with clay over the past ten years after taking early retirement for health reasons. Work and raising a family kept me too busy to follow my dream but I have returned to my first love now.
I have loved the feel of creating with clay since the first time I touched it way back in 1963 (I must have been a mud pie child) and I am able to indulge myself now by using it in all sorts of ways.
I am primarily a figurative sculptor making portraits of people or animals. As well as getting a good likeness of a person I endeavour to make the portrait “live” by capturing those fleeting expressions that make a person unique.
I also try to do something similar when making animal sculpture; it’s not enough to just produce a likeness, it has to be a little quirky as well. I like them to look as though they are about to move off somewhere else and if they make people smile so much the better. I have strayed into the realm of fantasy animals lately, inspired by the science fiction I love to read.
I am moving into a new field of work by creating coil or slab built sculpture for the home or garden. I am particularly interested in the surface of the pieces, creating textures with layered coloured slips and glazes and/or impressed marks and added clay. These vary in size from 6 inches to whatever I can fit in my kiln.
Personal information:
1946 Born Lowestoft, Suffolk
1967 Certificate of Education, Trent Park College of Education
1970 City and Guilds Diploma in Dressmaking and Pattern Cutting
1997 NCFE part 1 Practical craft skills
1998 NCFE part 2 Practical Craft Skills
2009 BA (Hons.) Applied Art, (ceramics) Glyndwr University