This year developing new designs that explore our personal stories, where we come from, and how those origins shape the way we see the world. Story is deeply rooted in what I do, and I’m excited to be expanding that through new techniques, including screen printing, as a way of bringing fresh layers of meaning and narrative into the work.
Open Studios is a valuable chance to speak directly with people who are genuinely interested in pottery and ceramics, and to connect with visiting potters, makers and enthusiasts. It reminds me how strong and generous our industry is, built on shared knowledge, experimentation and a deep human desire to make things that are both useful and beautiful.
My practice sits across several worlds at once: maker, teacher, production potter, researcher and mentor. Every pot carries something of the hands that made it, the moment it came from, and the person who will eventually live with it. I’m interested in pottery not only as object, but as connection: between process and use, tradition and experiment, maker and guest, family and memory.
In recent years I have found increasing joy in teaching. After long stretches of solitary studio work, and years where much of life also revolved around beekeeping, the social side of pottery has become deeply rewarding. The experiences we offer are not simply about technique. They are about people spending time together, sharing laughter, making memories and creating something with their own hands — in that order. One of the great pleasures of teaching is watching someone move from uncertainty to surprise and pride in what they have made. When they later receive and use their pots, those objects carry the memory of a holiday, friendship or shared family time.
Mentoring has also become an important part of my work. I value supporting trainees, younger makers and those seeking guidance. They bring curiosity and freshness, and often push me to think further outside the box.
Alongside teaching and production, research remains central to my practice, especially glaze technology, kiln process and material behaviour. Opening a kiln still carries risk, anticipation and excitement. My studio is a hybrid artisanal space: part teaching studio, part production workshop, part testing ground.
For this Open Studios, there will be old favourites alongside newer glaze explorations and fresh directions in design, all shaped by story, use, research and connection.