One of my first encounters with smoke fired pottery was during a five day workshop with the title “Fire over the North” in Cumbria. During this workshop we built and fired many different kilns but my imagination was captured by the results obtained during a demonstration of Smoke Firing and Pit Firing by Ray Rogers a New Zealand potter who works in Australia. This experience marked the beginning of my fascination for using smoke and fire to design the surfaces of my own ceramics.

My main interest lies in form rather than function. An interest in ancient pottery,geology and prehistoric rock art are a constant source of experiment and influence in my work. am lucky to live in a rural area near Allendale in Northumberland where I can experiment with many low firing techniques

Right image: working on stoneware clays