I'm 33, have a weird name, and am very tall (6'1"). I grew up in the home counties. Like lots of people I never knew what I wanted to do for a career, so I drifted about gaining qualifications in seemingly random jobs. I have worked as a Scuba Instructor, a Swimming Teacher, and the person you complain to when you call Mothercare Head Office, to name but a few!
I'll give you the brief version of the next few years - basically I got married, did a degree in Art, moved to Lanzarote for 3 years, had a baby there, and moved back to South Wales where my husband is originally from.
Ceramics started for me when I was very depressed. We had just found out that our daughter has Cystic Fibrosis, and that there was a 1 in 4 chance that the baby was I pregnant with would also have it. As it turned out no.2 daughter also has CF. It was a horrible time, and both my husband and I were left reeling from shock. Once I had managed to scrape myself off the floor, I signed up for an evening course in Ceramics, simply because the time slot fitted our schedule. I soon realised how much I had missed being creative, and loved my Monday evenings playing with clay.
Whoa - I've gone a bit off track there. My favourite colour is pale turquoise, and I eat far too much dark chocolate. Just thought I better lighten the mood before we all start calling the Samaritans!
Did you enjoy working at any of your previous jobs and have any of the skills your learnt back then contributed to your ceramic works today?
What prompted your decision to move to Wales after starting a life in Lanzarote? Are you originally from Wales as well?
We moved to Wales after three years in Lanzarote because having a child changed everything. Suddenly we missed having a family network and a fluency in language at hospital appointments and banks etc. We moved to Wales because that is where my husband's family are from and they all live within 5 miles of each other. I am from South East England but my family are spread far and wide.
Why did you choose an evening course in ceramics over other forms of art and have you had any previous experience with clay before your course?
The only experience I had of clay was a dabbling at school and when I was tiny, my mother did some pottery. I chose ceramics simply because the time of the course suited me. To be honest the course could have been in anything art based and I'd have gone. I needed to get out the house and think about something other than CF for a few hours a week. Having a degree in Art means I have tried quite a few art forms other than clay. At Uni I was interested in moving image and photography. My dissertation was on the 'reality' portrayed by photographs. I have always been fascinated by what people believe and how it affects them emotionally. For example you know a film is not reality, yet you are still scared, excited, saddened and so on, by what is happening on the screen.
Are your working with clay full time now?
Since your favourite colour is pale turquoise why is the majority of your work glazed in red and deep blue?
Good question - I have a love of typeface, and I have found that impressed letters in clay stand out best in darker richer colours. Therefore pale turquoise doesn't get much of a look in! However, I am working on some new bowls which will use a blend of blue and turquoise glazes, so perhaps my favourite colour will get its moment soon.
Have you ever thought about creating a story from clay and using your photography skills to create a moving image or maybe experimenting with stop motion? If not is this something you'd like to explore?
No, I haven't but that's a really good idea. I'll be looking into it. I love Morph (I mean who doesn't?!) but I never really considered it as something I could do. I'm fairly new to clay and it has always mean a craft to me, rather than an art.
Having said that I was really inspired by the ceramic art work by the Craft Makers Guild in Cardiff the other day, and I have some artistic ideas that are clay formed that I will be putting into production soon. So I'll see where that road leads.
Where do you see yourself taking your clay works?
I think like everyone, I like to have an item on the Etsy homepage and an article (or a least an item of mine featured) in a glossy magazine. But my personal plan is to sell to more shops and get it to the point where it is actually making a wage.
Do you have a favourite typeface at all? If so what is it?
My favourite typeface changes a lot, and it depends on what I'm writing. My least favourite typefaces are those that are hard to read, and the mother of all overused typefaces: Comic Sans - unless you are 12 years old and writing about unicorns, it should never see the light of day.
What type of clay do you use and what are it's properties? Why do you use this clay over the other kinds out there?
I use regular stoneware clay. It comes out a creamy colour, is fairly easy to work with and cheap. I use it because it is readily available and I am just starting to think about trying other types - like I say I'm fairly new to clay.
Could you tell us about the types and colours of glazes you use?
Glazes - they are just the regular 1040C fired glazes. I dab on a couple of layers, and then use the 'wash off' technique to remove the glaze from the letters or pictures I have imprinted into the clay. Then I add a layer of clear glaze over the whole thing, to make it shiny. I only own about 5 glazes (my word they are expensive, aren't they?!) so make my work fit around what I have. I like to use a 'make it do' philosophy in life and my clay work is no exception. Sometimes the best ideas come from having to work round a few obstacles!
Where does your attraction to typography come from and how do you apply your type to clay? Also do you use ready made stamps and if so does this limit your choice of typeface?
I don't know why I like type, I just do. I use ready made stamps which come in an amazing array of fonts (especially if you go retro and use old type setting stamps). I have just bought some kit to make my own stamps as there are some things I can't get at a reasonable price.
Are there any types of clay or glazes you'd like to try in particular?
How do you generate ideas for your work and what are your main influences?
Could you talk us through your creative process?
I jot down ideas then I mess about with the clay and see what happens. Sometimes another idea will be born while I'm messing. With new postcard designs there is a bit of trial and error to get the words to fit on the postcard!
Your spoon and postcard shaped pieces are very unique! What's the story behind those?
The love spoons were just a brilliant idea of mine. I needed a gift for a relative who was getting married, and I wanted the gift to speak of Wales, so I was thinking about a love spoon. Then it occurred to me I could make a ceramic love spoon and imprint their names and the date on the spoon.
I don't know how I thought of the postcards. It must have been one of my falling asleep ideas. I like clay being used for items that are not usually ceramic, and if they can impart a message then so much the better.
Do you have a favourite item in your shop?
I think my favourite is my Today is Amazing bowl. I like little reminders that make me count my blessings. I also love the colour that the mix of blue glazes came out.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I think all I would like to add is a piece of advice to anyone thinking of trying art or a craft. Do it with your heart, and your own style will shine through. Try not to worry whether it's perfect or right. I spent years not being creative because I was worried I wouldn't be good at it.
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