Sculpture

Textile sculpture

Sculpture explores the ideas of dormancy and growth. The husk or ‘pod’ is a recurring theme running through the textile pieces. The use of flax, hemp and linen are important choices as they reference both the natural and industrial heritage of my local area around Bridport and Beaminster which were major centres of the rope making industry many years ago.

Woven and stitched forms are frequently twisting or encasing something rather like leaves unfurling or a pupae. These delicate materials are sometimes combined with harsher media such as stone and wire to create tension or suggest something barred and protected.

Ceramic sculpture

I work with a white St Thomas clay creating a series of pods and other forms inspired by observations of the natural flora and fauna.

Recently, I’ve been using porcelain to create forms inspired by the marks on the land, especially the area around Eggardon Hill, an Iron Age hill fort with magnificent swooping hills. Ridges, scars and hollows  reappear on these ceramic pieces, recalling the white chalk and flint of the land where I walk. These pieces are glazed very simply or left unglazed to remain as raw as the land which inspired them.