| Born
in England in 1955, I spent most of my childhood in the north
east of England, notably in Whitby, on the North Yorkshire coast.
My mother was particularly interested in plants, and later in
amphibians. My father was a geology lecturer, with a passion
for fossils. This background helped me to develop my interest
in nature. I was always interested in art too, and as a child
began to associate the two by modelling animals in plasticine.
I was always watching the animals around me - in the garden,
or lost in the marvellous world of rock pools. I always particularly
liked, and still do, the odd little brightly coloured animals
I found around me. The insects, sea-slugs, salamanders, and
so on. I moved to France in 1992, and live alongside a small
river. It is with great pleasure that I have recently created
an official otter haven on my riverbanks. |
Golden
Toad |
Green and White Cow |
I
have been a professional potter since 1979. A long time ago
I started specialising in hand modelled animals. If I throw
a pot on the potters' wheel I either transform it into an animal,
or add one to it. I make lots of different types of animals,
in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but still prefer the brightly
coloured ones, or ones that I find funny - like cows. My animals
tend to be caricatures,
and either
humoristic or full of tenderness, or both. I work with several
different clays, (white / red / black, smooth / grogged) fired
between 1000°C and 1100°C, and decorated with a large
range of colours. My work is hand modelled, apart from a bit
of throwing. Sometimes I associate other
materials
with the
clay, for instance the brass and copper wire I use for my cows
and silly birds. The clays I use are not frost resistant, so
my work shouldn't be left outside in winter when there is a
risk of freezing. |
| In
2003 I went to Ghana to work with sculptor
Francis Boateng for several weeks. Our idea was to work together
in order to better understand our cultural differences. There
are too many conflicts in the world caused by misunderstanding
and lack of knowlege. It was a wonderful experience, and we
both learnt a lot. The contact continues..... |
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