All my work (porcelain ceramics, glass fusion and copper enamelling) is handmade and fired at my home in Levens, Kendal, Cumbria. The reason I use porcelain clay is because I love how clean it is after firing plus, I like my work to appear exceptionally delicate, which means manipulating it as thin as I can. Porcelain is a strong, vitreous, translucent ceramic material, which is perfect to look delicate but in actual fact be truly tough.
My pieces are inspired by nature, books, photographs, vintage lace and are intended for people as gifts or to brighten up your own home with some loveliness. I use fine pieces of antique lace or nature, to print onto the clay. It is biscuit fired to then under glaze, mainly with blues and turquoise, as these are my favourite colours and of course, colour highlights the pretty detail that I am drawn to. There is varying degrees of translucency in my pieces depending on the form and thinness of clay.
I love bright colour, so I feel glass is also a great medium to work with. It’s simplicity and smoothness appears to contrast with the detail and prettiness of my ceramic work. I like that.
Copper enamelling contrasts so much with the other 2 mediums and is such fun because the work grows before your eyes, so there is an instant result in this process rather than days of waiting which clay and glass need. I also love how all 3 materials can be encompassed together which makes for great jewellery pieces.