Harry has been making pots for 10 years. An initial taste of making with clay came with evening classes at the Guildford Potters' in 2006. After a hiatus, Harry attended classes with Stewart Scambler at the Fremantle Arts Centre and this is where the journey into the deep rabbit hole of pottery really began. In 2020 Harry began working at Happs Pottery, which has allowed him to hone his making skills through making production pottery.
For Harry, making pots grows out of a love of food and the desire to contribute to a rich food culture in the South West of Western Australia --- growing; cooking; fermenting; eating and sharing. Harry makes pots for daily use with the hope that people might be surrounded by useful and beautiful things.
Ash glazes have always been a part of Harry's practice for the organic surfaces they bring and for the way the incorporation of ash brings the pots closer in relationship to the cooking fire and the plants that fuel it.
In 2020, Harry moved to Erravilla Country Estate in Yallingup Siding and is in the process of establishing a pottery in an old shearing shed on the property. In 2021 Harry completed building a wood-fired kiln. Firing with wood brings the pots into relationship with the land on which they are made. The flame and the ash of the wood-firing process touch the pots in ways that are largely unpredictable and give the pots a uniqueness that is out of the hands of the maker. The pots are a collaboration with fire.
With a kiln built, ash collected from local cooking fires, mineral sands collected from Yallingup and clay dug from the dam at Erravilla, Harry is excited to be able to make work that is beginning to be expressive of this place. Every kiln opening will be an exciting and ongoing conversation with country, fire, people and earth.