I enjoy the whole process of working with clay, from the initial preparation to final stage.

My stylised bird ceramics are slab built using stoneware clay. Incised designs are decorated with slip, underglaze colours and glaze; all of the ceramics are containers or vessels.

My ideas and inspiration come from observation of the birds I see in my garden and surrounding fields and from the moors and coast of North yorkshire. I try to capture and simplify the colours and patterns of the bird’s plumage, to make each one recognizable without it being totally representational.

The final image evolves from brief sketches through a process of refinement and elimination, I aim for an abstract image that captures the sharpness and liveliness of the bird.

I have a studio and showroom in Ugglebarnby–a small village not far from Whitby.