Functional Work

Work posted December 2011
Work posted December 2011
Work posted June 2011		Work posted February 2012
Work posted February 2012

Why I do it

The importance of the vessel to the civilization mankind is a concept I find deeply appealing. There is a beautiful thing that happens when I use a favourite mug or bowl in my daily rituals of eating and drinking; it is a connection between the maker of the pot and me on a level that makes no sense to translate into words, but is all the more real because of that lack. This link and the connotations of previous links between makers and users is what functional ceramics is all about. It is a quality that, fortunately, is missed by the critical discourses circulating around about ceramics and its place in the world. But it is such a valuable quality that all makers of functional domestic ware share in it.
I love the challenge of working within a tradition that encompasses all manner of useful ceramics – the beauty of a mug’s lip, the haughtiness of a jug’s handle, the seductive curve of a teapot’s spout all are rich sources of inspiration. I try to balance the urge of constant inventiveness with a consistency and repetition of a form.
Currently I fire most of my work in a fast fire Phoenix wood kiln and squirt a bit of soda around to enliven the surfaces and bring an added punch to the colours.