I have been in my studio making more pots and trying out a few new glazes too. I’ve been working on my website and it has been a really exciting process seeing it all come together. I’m really keen to try out the online shop as I’ve had more enquires about how to buy my pots. I’m trying a very small number of items for a pilot sale until I figure out how it all works. I’ve been making the candle holders, beakers, a few vases and cups mostly with a few more products in the pipe line such as plant pots, candle stick holders, cups for cappuccino or hot chocolate and bowls that will be available in subsequent sales.
The beakers were first conceived of on residency with the Bothy Project on the Isle of Eigg.
Inspired by my surroundings I was looking at back to basics firing techniques and doing lots of pit firing at the time. I started researching Neolithic pottery techniques and came across the Neolithic beaker people. It resonated with me that they were a specific group of people across Europe and the UK known for their distinctive pottery. They were often buried with their beakers as it was thought to be a treasured, multi purpose item that had served them in life.
I started playing about with the beaker form as a multi purpose object which could be useful for simple bothy life. My beakers are for drinking maybe even eating stews or as a general vessel for small flowers, holding tools or doing a watercolour painting. They’ve become much neater objects than the ones I made using experimental firing techniques on residency with the bothy project.
As I brought the production into my studio they have gained in durability and are dishwasher safe whilst maintaining something of the utilitarian aspect with their scale and form. A functional personal pot that you can take with you to the grave!
The candle holders were first designed for my own wedding I wanted to be able to have candles that were very stable and wouldn’t get knocked over at a lively party. I needed something that could be reused and make a simple candle look smart whilst containing all the wax so the table cloth doesn’t get ruined. I gave them away to the guests as wedding favours and I have kept some in my house too. They’re designed to fit the HEMSJÖ block candle from Ikea so they’re easy to refill but I also use them as sugar bowls and I’m about to repot a small cactus in another one.