HOUSE & GARDEN ~Salt of the earth

Back in November 2025 I received an email from Aida Amoako, features writer at House & Garden magazine. Who had seen my work in person at the Anima Mundi show and was currently working on a story for print about me and my work.

If you’re curious to hear how it went I recommend you get yourself a copy of the magazine……….or read the unedited version below 👇

It'd be great to know what stories inspire you as some of your works are inspired by interpretations of myth and folklore.

I grew up on Aesop’s Fables and various classical myths and legends. I get a lot of inspiration from reading too and recently enjoyed Stephen Fry’s retellings of the Greek myths, which are so accessible and really highlight the enduring influence on our contemporary culture. My mum was also a great narrator and used to write stories and read them to me and my siblings when we were little. I love the concept of customs and beliefs being passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth; basically I’ve always loved a good story. I’m also greatly inspired by poetry, such as the fragments of Sappo. I don’t like to know everything, I mean I want to know everything, but part of the fascination is in the discovery of something and I think it’s the same with art. It’s interesting to me when you get a glimpse of something which may trigger a feeling or a memory. I like to create work that’s a bit mysterious or symbolic in some way.

I'd also love to know:

When did you realise you wanted to be a professional artist? 

I don’t think this was something I ever specifically set out to do, I’ve never had a plan as such. I’ve always been creative and imaginative though and I think the whole process (of becoming a professional artist) has been a slow burn for me, I kind of just kept going. In a way it has felt inevitable; I grew up in a creative household. Both my parents were busy artists, there was always a painting or sculpture on the go somewhere in the house, so it felt very natural to always be making something. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped.

How did you put together your home studio and what is it like to work there?

I have worked in a range of temporary and shared studios over the years, mostly without heating or sometimes windows! Following lockdown and the closure of my old studio building, I transported everything home and I currently make work from a spare room in my house. I have to glaze and fire in a different location. It can be complicated working from several different places and precarious driving fragile work around. I have had to become very good at packing!

 This year I also took on the project of rebuilding my old garage and turning it into a new studio space. When finished I will finally have everything in one place. I can’t wait!

 Do you have a method of making whether it's coiling or slab-building that you have a particular fondness for over others?

 I work using traditional hand-building techniques, often in combination. For example, the body of an owl is made using coiling and pinching and the base slab work. If I had to choose, maybe I prefer coiling and pinching over rolling slabs as this can be tough on your hands and wrists, but each method has its benefits.

 What's your philosophy behind celebrating the brushstrokes and imprints in your work?

I want the work to be tactile and inviting to the eye and touch, never overworked and always quite spontaneous. I like to leave visible traces of the making process, evidencing the handmade nature of the work making its uniqueness apparent.

How have William Blake and Picasso inspired your work? 

I’m greatly inspired by the spontaneity in Picasso’s work and his expressive freedom. His work is always imbued with such character, the faces that make you smile. I have a particular interest in his ceramics of course and his large collection of plates. I’m really astounded by how prolific Picasso’s making was throughout his life, like he had a real compulsion to create to the end. In contrast to Picasso, William Blake’s drawings and watercolours to me have a more ephemeral, spiritual feel which is also something I like to emulate in my painting style. Of particular interest to me are his illustrations for The Divine Comedy by Dante. 

What is it about animals and faces that draws you to depict them?

 That’s tricky to explain, it’s hard to say why I’m drawn to making or painting a certain thing… Maybe it comes down to wanting to create characters and how within just a few strokes you can create a feeling or expression that others respond to.