Origins

My introduction to clay was with French artist Michel François.

After a fleeting dream which I had of a potter, six months after I was inquiring about apprenticeships in agriculture at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, UK, one day, walking past a gutted building that had a long paper sign stating, ‘pottery coming soon’, I remembered the dream and thought I should ask about an apprenticeship. Shaking my head and thinking it to be silly I continued walking until I froze in my steps, turned around and entered the building. When asked if I had a degree in Ceramics I told Michel I hadn’t nor any knowledge or experience with clay, this didn’t faze him and my introduction into clay began.

I helped build his studio pottery in Falmouth, Cornwall. Michel introduced me to the Hamada-Leach tradition of studio pottery, porcelain, stoneware and the use of tree ashes in glazes. For the first six months I fired kilns, made up glazes, glazed pots and processed clay before I ever learnt how to throw on a potters wheel.