I was born on the Isle of Wight, and educated at Carisbrooke Grammar School. After ‘A’ Levels I studied sculpture and ceramics at Bath Academy of Art and Hammersmith College of Art. Following this I completed a post graduate teaching course at Bognor Regis College of Education.

I returned to the Island and taught art and design at Ventnor Secondary School, Cowes High and Medina High, finally being appointed Head of Art and Design at Ryde High School. I took early retirement in 1996.

 

After retiring I set up a studio and converted the conservatory into a small gallery at our home on the seafront in Ventnor Bay. As well as selling my work from home, it was also sold through local and mainland galleries - as far afield as Cornwall, the Channel Islands and Australia.

 

Three years ago we decided to move from the Island to Cornwall. We bought a small cottage near The Lizard village at the southernmost tip of England, and built a studio in the garden. But Neil and I found we missed our family, friends and Island life so much, we decided at the start of 2009 to move back. We recently moved to an old coach house in Wroxall where I have a studio in the converted stables.

 

About Technique
The stoneware and porcelain is fired at 1220 degrees Celsius in an electric kiln. I use a variety of methods of construction; thrown, coiled, slab, press moulding, slip cast and combinations of these processes.

I colour the clay bodies using oxides to achieve ‘rock strata’ effects. Pieces are decorated by inlaid colour slips sprayed with underglaze and oxides. I have developed my own glazes which create unusual and often unpredictable results.