My Story
I graduated in Ceramic Design from the Glasgow School of Art in 1996, including a formative final-year exchange at the University of Toledo, Ohio. The years that followed were shaped by a deep engagement with community arts and ceramics education across the UK and USA, where making became as much about shared experience as individual practice. In 2007, this led to the founding of a community ceramics workshop in Govan, Glasgow.
In 2010, I moved north to the Highlands and built a studio overlooking the shifting light of the Moray Firth, where I now work full time. The landscape, weather, and coastal environment continue to inform my approach—quietly influencing the rhythms, textures, and forms within my work.
My ceramics have been exhibited widely, including at London Design Week, Top Drawer, Potfest, Lustre, and Ceramics in the City. Alongside my studio practice, I have pursued ongoing professional development through HI-Arts/Emergents, taken part in DesignMarch in Reykjavík, and completed a residency at Guldagergaard in Denmark.
Why I make what I make
I make functional ceramics that embrace the beauty of imperfection. My work is rooted in the belief that objects can be both carefully made and joyfully unpolished — durable, comfortable to use, and alive with the marks of process and chance. I am drawn to the moments where clay and glaze behave unpredictably: dribbles running down a surface, crackles forming as pieces cool, glaze breaking softly over an edge, or two glazes melting together into something neither could become alone. These are the moments that hold energy for me.
I find that the chaos found in nature settles my mind. In the same way that tangled branches, shifting weather, or uneven landscapes feel calming rather than disordered, I want my ceramics to carry a sense of organic movement and spontaneity. I value a distinctly handmade presence — evidence of the hand, the firing, and the material itself.
Drawing is an extension of that conversation. I apply illustrations over the glaze, responding intuitively to what the surface offers. Where two glazes meet, a line might become a horizon for a small house to rest upon; a softly textured glaze can transform into a sky filled with birds. The ceramic surface guides the imagery as much as I do.
I aim for feeling rather than precision. My drawings often hold a slightly jaunty perspective or an unevenness that reflects the human hand behind them. Rather than chasing perfection, I am interested in warmth, character, and connection — creating pieces that invite everyday use while offering small moments of imagination and calm.