Whether it be exemplifying the way glaze melts, slumping porcelain forms or using the atmosphere of a kiln to activate my surfaces, the firing has always central to my work. As a result, my pieces act as a record of what was happening in the kiln that we cannot see during the fire, creating a record of transformation the clay goes through beyond my hand. My work is and has always been about what makes ceramics ceramic: the firing.

In recent years, my focus has been on atmospheric firing, mostly wood and soda. As with many ceramists, I’m interested in the variety of effects that can come from the combination of fire, ash, temperature and time. While my forms have evolved, the core interest has remained the same: to create a record of the forces at work on the clay as it becomes ceramic, and to use my experience and knowledge of the process to influence the results of the firing.