Artist's StatementI studied Ceramic Design at Glasgow School of Art . My work is hand built and my interest is with sculptural forms rather than functional pots. Each piece is unique, rich in contrasts, light and dark, coloured or black and white, straight lines or curved, shaped and smooth. My work includes abstracts sculptures, vessels, animals, which are individually crafted and unique. The pieces are burnished using homemade terra sigillata (an ultrafine clay slip) and fired between 950°C and 1050°C. This is followed by a second firing in order to obtain the final finish, which involves different techniques of smoke firing with organic materials such as dried twigs, seaweed, sawdust, recycled newspapers and oxides. During lockdown I felt the need to inject strong and uplifting colours into my work without the use of glazes. This led me to fire at high temperature using porcelain and stoneware. I work from home in my own workshop which I set up in 2000.