From studying painting, printmaking, and calligraphy at Guildford School of Art, I've explored a wide range of materials and styles, often combining ceramic and fused glass with reclaimed materials
Feeling great concern about the environmental impact of waste and our indiscriminate use of plastics and oil, I use discarded toys (potent symbols both for the personal memories they can trigger, and their archetypal imagery) and found objects to make sculpture and mosaics... a squashed can in the road, plastics in the tideline… abandoned, unvalued, changed by time… the work becomes a metaphor for survival and re-creation.
I work in an old tractor shed on a farm just outside Harberton, near Totnes… draughty, too cold in winter, too hot in summer - but I love it. There’s an indestructible concrete floor, an up-and-over door for large objects, spiders and a wren to share it with, no sink (which makes me very careful with waste materials), no wifi and at 20’x25’ with height to match, it’s BIG. I can make a mess, accumulate manifold strange objects and be completely at home, alone in the best way possible.
I teach mosaics and ceramics there, and occasional community educational projects.