I started my clay journey back in 2015 when I took some short courses at a college in Perth, Western Australia. learning from Ceramic Woodfire Artist Cher Shackleton and later honing my wheel-throwing skills with Master Potter Warrick Palmateer.
Over the last eleven years of my artistic journey in clay, my studio grew and moved to a 199m2 commercial unit where I would produce my work and teach, passing my skills onto others starting up their own clay journey. I closed this studio in 2024 after moving to Witchcliffe, Margaret River, where I now concentrate on producing my own pieces in my 78m2 home studio.
I throw all my pieces on the wheel using a fine translucent white porcelain clay. I mainly throw decorative pieces, concentrating mainly on throwing round bellied forms, while small foot bases and fine slender necks help lift and accentuate the curves of the piece.
When I sit at the wheel to throw, I usually have no preconceived form in mind. I love to push the clay to its limits; the clay will speak to me as I throw and manipulate it.
My true passion is crystalline glazing, a process where crystal formations grow in the glaze during the firing process. Crystalline glazing blends the scientific, controlled kiln firing, with the unpredictable organic results of crystal growth.
One of the things I love about crystalline glazes are that they are unpredictable, with no control over the number crystals and where the crystals will form over the piece, which makes each piece totally unique. The only control I have is over the colours from the oxides and carbonates added to the glaze recipe and shapes of the crystals, which is achieved by varying the temperature of the kiln during the crystal growing stage of firing.
I love to explore and experiment with both the clay and my glazes.
I develop my own glazes and continuously experiment to achieve new, distinctive, contrasting colour combinations between the background matrix and crystal layers.
The wheel-thrown curved forms from porcelain clay enhance colour and crystal growth, with crystal formations appearing to ‘float and pop’ from a seemingly multi-dimensional surface. Each piece then holds a depth and a life of its own.
I love and am excited to see people experience my work and crystalline glazes for the first time, to explain the process and magic of crystalline glazes, and produce beautiful pieces people want to display in their homes.