Some years ago, we stopped off at Coventry Cathedral to break up a long journey. What stood out among the many beautiful images from our visit was the Baptismal Font, created from a large boulder brought from Bethlehem and inscribed with the emblem of a large scallop shell, to hold the water.

The impression of this boulder became an image, a metaphor, of the way in which I regard my work.  In its simplicity can be found the beauty of function and the realisation that beauty is also a function in the way that it enhances our lives.

This experience opened up an appreciation of the transformation of substance that through the hands of the potter; clay changes from its chaotic state into items of usefulness and beauty.

A few weeks later we moved to our present workshop in Whiteshill on the outskirts of Stroud.  For 14 years our workshop had been in the former art college in the centre of town. I had swapped the rigidity of the bricks and mortar, the lines and angles, to softer forms inspired by the hills and the woodlands surrounding us now.

I feel that my work is the synthesis of many influences; Asian, European and African pottery and that I can be as enthusiastic about a piece of medieval English slipware as I am about a modern sculpture.  What is important is the way in which the making, decoration and firing combine in order to create harmony.

My work is almost entirely functional with an emphasis towards being used in the home.  I use a number of different clays and I like to explore form and gently alter the shapes.  The surfaces are then textured using various techniques and decorated with slips and oxides. The slips on the outside of the pots also are made incorporating locally found clays and materials.  The glazes on the inside are made from ashes of wood or shrubs

Firing mostly takes place in a wood-firing kiln – occasionally I use a small gas kiln for testing or firing some pieces where it feels suitable. It is fired to 1280/1300 degrees C over a period of up to 18 hours.  Towards the end of the firing I introduce Bicarbonate of Soda into the kiln which creates a vapour that settles on the pot as a translucent glaze, accentuating the colours and textures of the surfaces.