PROCESS

All my work is hand built. It’s important to me that the work holds an integral connection with the way we’ve always worked with clay. I coil each piece by hand from the base up. This can take several days or weeks, depending on weather conditions. The surface is laboriously scraped to reveal the form. Pieces made from white clay are then burnished.

Work is fired in an electric kiln to earthenware temperature. No further treatment is given to the black pieces, but white work will be covered with applied paper to act as a resist; this is a technique i’ve explored over 30 years and can take many days to apply. Smokefiring is done in a basic, loosely constructed brick kiln in my garden. The firing is quick to minimise carbon particles. My move towards black clay was fuelled by my intentions to reduce my carbon footprint. Smokefired work is treated with a UV sealant as the reduction process will (like raku or any organic dye or material) be subject to fading in bright sunlight.

Large black pieces are treated with a high quality waterproofing sealant. Sadly no ceramics can be guaranteed against frost damage.