EST.
2021
ARTISDAN GIFTS
AUTHENTIC HANDMADE SUSTAINABLE CRAFT
MADE WITH CARE
ABOUT ME
I have always enjoyed designing and creating with my hands, although I only decided to pursue a career in art later in life. Upon being made redundant from a stressful civil service job in 2013 I decided to re-skill in a career I enjoyed.
I undertook a variety of craft-related courses at Lincoln Castle's Heritage Skills Centre, Lincoln College, and The National Centre of Craft & Design. I could see the potential in glass fusing but wanted to learn other glass techniques and so after taking a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design and specialising in 3D Design, I decided to study glass at university.
​
I graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2018 in Glass & Ceramics gaining a 1st Class Honours Degree. I have since returned home and set up my own studio by sympathetically restoring an old barn near Lincoln - see my blog.
​
I have suffered from chronic pain and fatigue for many years and with mental and physical health conditions worsening in recent years impacting on my ability to work and concentrate. I have self-funded my studio renovation and equipment from my life savings and adapted my working practices where possible to try and reduce further injury.
It has taken a long time to get to this point but I feel I now may be able to continue with my craft.
I now produce crafts when I can whilst working and participate in craft fairs.
I am considering teaching workshops - for information please see Workshops. Please email me if you are interested.
MY WORK
I aim to continue to create contemporary glass artwork for exhibitions which can be found on a separate website here. These represent current themes such as the environment and social issues and seek to ask questions of the viewers.
​
I set up this website to provide a view into the small handcrafted gifts that are more accessible to everyday people who may not consider themselves art lovers or attend galleries regularly. I strongly believe that art and craft is for everyone, not just a select few.
I use the same techniques in my smaller crafted decorative gifts as I do in my contemporary artwork.
I have a passion for both glass and ceramics and seek to explore materiality and techniques using clay, glass, glazes and slips to exploit visual effects in my work.
I learn through making and my work requires many hours of planning, and failures before success.
​
I aim to produce regular series of work to cater for a variety of people as well as accepting commissions.
Please view items in my online shop.
I am happy to answer any queries.
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE
I have always cared deeply about the environment and wastage and therefore I've continued to try to work as sustainably as possible when designing and producing my artworks.
I delay my decisions when making work until I can answer questions such as does it need to be made, its relevance, the materials that will be used (including origin), the techniques involved, energy required, carbon footprint, and packaging and delivery methods.
​​
-
My electricity provider uses 100% renewable sourced green energy. I don't use any gas.
-
Clay is regularly recycled for re-use and I knead this by hand rather than using an electrically powered extruder.
-
I use a settling tank under my sink to stop clay and plaster going down the drain.
-
I pack my kilns as full as possible to reduce the number of separate firings and energy used. My kilns are well-maintained, very efficient and well-insulated.
-
Use of slips reduces the need for an extra glaze firing in some instances.
-
Excess glaze is scraped off bottoms of pots for re-use later where possible.
-
I avoid using toxic glaze materials where possible such as lead. I often opt for using the natural clay colour in a lot of my work as thickly applied glazes can hide the detail and texture of works and may not be necessary e.g. Terracotta clay is used in my Chewbacca Starwars decoration to avoid using brown glaze, to avoid an extra glaze firing.
-
When casting glass I re-use previously fired plaster-silica in my future mould mixes to avoid unnecessary disposal.
-
When sympathetically renovating my studio I chose to use natural insulation from sheep's wool as a traditional method to suit the type of building and lime mortar as opposed to cement.
-
LED lighting in my studio uses minimal energy and light is bounced off my white ceiling to increase the brightness.
-
I use heat given off by my kilns and outdoor sun to dry moulds when possible rather than heating them electrically.
-
I calculate the volumes of my cottle minus my model for plaster mixes when making moulds to avoid wasting material.
-
Excess glass can be trimmed off wells and sprues and reused in further castings.
-
Excess glass is kept and re-used.
I strongly believe that is important to develop knowledge, skills, values and world views to encourage others to act in ways that help preserve our planet's natural resources, and reduce pollution, protect habitats of plants, animals, and people, building a better future for everyone.
​​
​
SUBSCRIBE
