I am a ceramic artist. I just love it. It’s in my blood. As a child, I did arts and crafts with my parents and I have always loved creating with my hands. I first came across clay in the early ’80s at a night pottery course and realized I had found my medium and a desire to use it. After coming to West Cork, I was able to set up a small workshop and realize my desire. I received a startup grant from the West Cork Enterprise Board and became officially self-employed in 2004. I’ve also received funding from the West Cork Development Partnership. I am unashamedly self-taught but there have been many people who have given me their advice and wisdom over the years. My late father bought me my first hobby kiln and supported me every step of the way, as has the rest of my family. I am here today because of my dream and their support and I am immensely grateful for all of them.
My career before ceramics was as a graphic artist. I left school at 16 and got a job in the art department of a local newspaper and found I had a natural flair for graphic art. I would work and save, then go travelling. It was only when I had Georgie, my daughter, and ‘settled down’ that I got into what I’m doing now.
The main material I use is porcelain paper clay, which I get from Scarva Potteries in the North of Ireland. I also fuse frit glass into my pieces. I started out with stoneware, but as my work became more textural I looked for a different clay body. Scarva had just introduced the porcelain paper clay and it was perfect. I had been experimenting with glass, but moved on to frit and discovered a way to lay it into the pieces and thus my current body of work began. The frit glass on porcelain is just so vibrant and a very unique technique. It’s a special secret process I’ve developed over years of experimenting.
I quite literally will have ideas and then make them … instead of sketches, I make prototypes, but usually it’s just straight to the making of the actual piece. Then I might make a few and put them out into the world to see how they are received. If reaction is good, I’ll make more and different ideas evolve and morph into other pieces as I go along — it’s a very organic flow.
It was something I read as a teenager, I don’t remember what it was in or who wrote it but it said, “Always take time to be quiet and listen to the voice within, follow the intuition that it gives you. Do what you love and the rest will take care of itself.” It seems to have worked so far.
I have this need to create. The way I work fits in perfectly with the rest of my life. Living in the South West of Ireland the weather isn’t always good; if we have an exceptionally nice day I’m able to put down my tools, go out and ‘grab the day.’ If I could just create all day it would be a perfect job, but there is more involved. Thankfully, coming from the graphic art background I had a good head for business and marketing. I love the photography and social media side of things as well. Facebook and Instagram are such amazing tools for getting your work out there. To sit and create is one thing, a joy in itself, but the circle is complete when that piece is then loved and appreciated by someone who purchases it.
My favourite studio items are the myriad of tools I have for texturing, ranging from wooden sticks, cake decorating and dentist tools to various objects found in nature. My slab roller was an absolutely major tool to get, no more rolling by hand so it saves me a ton of time. Right now I’m creating tiles to frame, and next up I’ll make a batch of cylinder lamps. I tend to work in batches as it’s easier to concentrate and get more done. My future plans are for my daughter, Georgie, who has just started working alongside me, to be both my technician and budding apprentice. I’ve learned not to not take life too seriously. The past and the future are just thoughts, live in the now and enjoy the journey. I am so appreciative of what I have. To be able to earn a living doing what I love is a miracle in itself.
I buy my clay ready-made; it is Scarva Potteries porcelain paper clay. Luckily, there’s no preparation of the clay body necessary. Most of my work begins as a slab, thus my love for the slab roller. Bowls are made by pressing the clay into plaster molds, over balls, or over various other molds I’ve made. I use drain pipe as a form for the lamps. I make texture stamps out of polymer clay, mostly from natural items. I have tons of ‘pokey things’ like ball tools, cocktail sticks, knitting needles, paintbrush ends, cake decorating tools, etc. Recently my sister gave me a dentist’s tool kit and I’m loving it. So after the piece has been lovingly formed, stamped and poked, it gets to dry. When dry it is ‘finished,’ all the edges and potential sharp spots are smoothed and then the first firing takes place. This is a long, slow process of around 20 hours, taking it all the way to its highest temperature and thus fully firing it. Then I get to colour the pieces in with the glass… using my secret processes. The second firing is much lower to accommodate the glass.
My workshop/studio is in my house. It’s fairly tidy; I like to know where everything is. I live in West Cork on the Mizen peninsula surrounded by countryside, and I definitely include that as part of my creative space. I’m not sure it would be so easy if I lived in a town and didn’t have so much space around me.
I am a ceramic artist. I just love it. It’s in my blood. As a child, I did arts and crafts with my parents and I have always loved creating with my hands. I first came across clay in the early ’80s at a night pottery course and realized I had found my medium and a desire to use it. After coming to West Cork, I was able to set up a small workshop and realize my desire. I received a startup grant from the West Cork Enterprise Board and became officially self-employed in 2004. I’ve also received funding from the West Cork Development Partnership. I am unashamedly self-taught but there have been many people who have given me their advice and wisdom over the years. My late father bought me my first hobby kiln and supported me every step of the way, as has the rest of my family. I am here today because of my dream and their support and I am immensely grateful for all of them.
My career before ceramics was as a graphic artist. I left school at 16 and got a job in the art department of a local newspaper and found I had a natural flair for graphic art. I would work and save, then go travelling. It was only when I had Georgie, my daughter, and ‘settled down’ that I got into what I’m doing now.
The main material I use is porcelain paper clay, which I get from Scarva Potteries in the North of Ireland. I also fuse frit glass into my pieces. I started out with stoneware, but as my work became more textural I looked for a different clay body. Scarva had just introduced the porcelain paper clay and it was perfect. I had been experimenting with glass, but moved on to frit and discovered a way to lay it into the pieces and thus my current body of work began. The frit glass on porcelain is just so vibrant and a very unique technique. It’s a special secret process I’ve developed over years of experimenting.
I quite literally will have ideas and then make them … instead of sketches, I make prototypes, but usually it’s just straight to the making of the actual piece. Then I might make a few and put them out into the world to see how they are received. If reaction is good, I’ll make more and different ideas evolve and morph into other pieces as I go along — it’s a very organic flow.
It was something I read as a teenager, I don’t remember what it was in or who wrote it but it said, “Always take time to be quiet and listen to the voice within, follow the intuition that it gives you. Do what you love and the rest will take care of itself.” It seems to have worked so far.
I have this need to create. The way I work fits in perfectly with the rest of my life. Living in the South West of Ireland the weather isn’t always good; if we have an exceptionally nice day I’m able to put down my tools, go out and ‘grab the day.’ If I could just create all day it would be a perfect job, but there is more involved. Thankfully, coming from the graphic art background I had a good head for business and marketing. I love the photography and social media side of things as well. Facebook and Instagram are such amazing tools for getting your work out there. To sit and create is one thing, a joy in itself, but the circle is complete when that piece is then loved and appreciated by someone who purchases it.
My favourite studio items are the myriad of tools I have for texturing, ranging from wooden sticks, cake decorating and dentist tools to various objects found in nature. My slab roller was an absolutely major tool to get, no more rolling by hand so it saves me a ton of time. Right now I’m creating tiles to frame, and next up I’ll make a batch of cylinder lamps. I tend to work in batches as it’s easier to concentrate and get more done. My future plans are for my daughter, Georgie, who has just started working alongside me, to be both my technician and budding apprentice. I’ve learned not to not take life too seriously. The past and the future are just thoughts, live in the now and enjoy the journey. I am so appreciative of what I have. To be able to earn a living doing what I love is a miracle in itself.
I buy my clay ready-made; it is Scarva Potteries porcelain paper clay. Luckily, there’s no preparation of the clay body necessary. Most of my work begins as a slab, thus my love for the slab roller. Bowls are made by pressing the clay into plaster molds, over balls, or over various other molds I’ve made. I use drain pipe as a form for the lamps. I make texture stamps out of polymer clay, mostly from natural items. I have tons of ‘pokey things’ like ball tools, cocktail sticks, knitting needles, paintbrush ends, cake decorating tools, etc. Recently my sister gave me a dentist’s tool kit and I’m loving it. So after the piece has been lovingly formed, stamped and poked, it gets to dry. When dry it is ‘finished,’ all the edges and potential sharp spots are smoothed and then the first firing takes place. This is a long, slow process of around 20 hours, taking it all the way to its highest temperature and thus fully firing it. Then I get to colour the pieces in with the glass… using my secret processes. The second firing is much lower to accommodate the glass.
My workshop/studio is in my house. It’s fairly tidy; I like to know where everything is. I live in West Cork on the Mizen peninsula surrounded by countryside, and I definitely include that as part of my creative space. I’m not sure it would be so easy if I lived in a town and didn’t have so much space around me.
