My work is inspired by the natural and symbolic worlds - by the seasons, birds, plants and rituals that mark the passing of time, and by the stories, memories and traditions we inherit.
I am drawn to things that are both fleeting and enduring: a flower that blooms for only a few weeks, a bird's nest that shelters new life, an old folk tale, or an archetype that has carried meaning across generations. Through clay, I explore these connections, creating objects that preserve traces of nature, memory and symbolism.
The Gilded Egg series is inspired by British birds and the folklore surrounding them, exploring themes of protection, renewal, belonging and joy.
I have always been fascinated by the structures birds create - functional yet symbolic places of shelter, protection and care. Their nests are temporary, delicate homes, while the folklore surrounding familiar garden birds gives them a cultural and emotional resonance.
The robin represents comfort and hope; the swallow, return and belonging; the goldfinch, joy and renewal; the swan love and loyalty.
Each piece reflects the textures of natural nest materials, while the interior is coloured in tribute to its bird: robin red; swallow blue. At the heart are three eggs — two painted true to life, and a third finished in gold.
The gold egg is symbolic: a reminder that fortune, comfort and happiness are often already present, waiting to be noticed.
Influences include Susan Ogilvy's 'Nests', Jan Hanzak's 'A Concise Guide in Colour: Birds' Eggs and Nests' and Sally Coulthard's 'Bird Lore: The Myths, Magic & Folklore of Birds'.
The Arcana series reimagines the archetypal figures of the Tarot as three-dimensional sculptures.
Tarot has long interested me as a personal practice - not as a means of predicting the future, but as a way of pausing, reflecting and deepening self-awareness. I am particularly drawn to the Major Arcana cards and their ability to represent different aspects of the human experience.
Figures such as The Empress, The Sun and The High Priestess become expressions of feminine power, intuition, transformation and inner knowing.
Influences include the Rider-Waite Tarot deck and 'Decoding the Cards' by Sheila Ellis.
The Imprint series focuses on the earth itself - on plants, flowers, grasses and the ordinary 'weeds' that shape the landscape around us.
I often use real plant material pressed directly into the clay, preserving delicate details that would otherwise fade. A cow parsley stem, a flower hidden in a border or the texture of a leaf becomes a lasting record of a particular season and place.
Because these impressions are taken from living plants rather than moulds, each piece is entirely unique.
Some of the tall dishes incorporate fragments of English poetry, folk songs and nursery rhymes hand-painted in the bowl, adding another layer of imprint - traces of memory, folklore and storytelling held within the clay.
Rooted in observation and personal memory, the Imprint series reflects the small, often overlooked details of the rural Kent landscape and the sense of place they create.
Influenced by Lisa Schneidau's 'Botanical Folktales'.
Across all three series, I return to the idea of imprint - the traces that nature, memory, stories and symbolism leave behind. Clay gives me a way to make those traces tangible, preserving things that might otherwise be fleeting or forgotten.
