I’m lucky enough to live with my husband in the beautiful Hope Valley in the stunning Peak District National Park. A perfect location for someone who is inspired by the natural world!
My workshop overlooks our little garden which attracts so much wildlife. Hundreds of birds, including a magnificent sparrowhawk and a very greedy pheasant! Lots of frogs that return to our pond every year and I’m happy to say the odd hedgehog visitor too.
An average day in the workshop will begin with feeding the birds – most important! Then it all depends on what piece I’m making, but the first job is usually rolling out sheets of clay which I’ll then begin to apply my texture to before I start to construct a piece.
Though I love the quiet atmosphere, which allows me to work uninterrupted for hours at a time, it can sometimes be a lonely experience! To counterbalance this solitary existence I spend a few weeks a year participating in arts trails, open studios and specialist ceramic and contemporary craft events around the country. It's an opportunity to meet and socialise with my contemporaries and talk about my work with the public.
As well as being a ceramicist I’ve also been involved in managing exhibitions and an online shop. For twelve years I was manager of the renowned contemporary jewellery exhibition Dazzle, held annually in Manchester. In 2008 I was joint founder of the online shop www.lovedazzle.com of which I was creative director until May 2015 when I chose to leave to concentrate on my ceramics.
I have also been a guest lecturer teaching three dimensional design at HND level. My most unusual job was as a student when I spent a summer in Hong Kong writing trivia questions for an educational computer games company. I learnt a lot about dinosaurs!
Outside of the world of ceramics I love to read and sew to relax. My biggest love is Latin dance and I also climb which I must admit to having a bit of a love hate relationship with as I’m scared of heights!
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