How I make things

I thought it would be nice to include some images about how I actually go about making work. People often look at my ceramics and assume that the designs have been painted onto the surface. In fact, the coloured slips are carved away, engraved into a relief surface similar to that of a printing block. This takes quite a long time, and one might ask, why go to all that work, then, if the result just looks painted? but, you see, to me, it doesn't: the texture and relief in the carving is quite detailed, producing a three-dimensionality and bringing the piece to life in a way that observes that good old William Morris ethic of creating useful objects of real beauty (at least- that's what I am striving for). Plus, I enjoy this process immensely! (We artists really are quite selfish).
 These days, this technique, rooted in print-making practice,  feels even more appropriate for me as I am now beginning to balance my ceramic production with etching-  something that I fell in love with many years ago in London, and am now able to return to thanks to the wonderful press lent to me by my good friend, Gavin Macclafferty. Cheers, Gav. I am also very grateful to the amazing Rosey Prince, who came out here for a bus-man's holiday, to remind me how careful I need to be working with nitric acid!!
So, here are some pictures of work in progress on the 'Field' tiles- the ceramic panel that came out of the kiln earlier this week. As you see, the etching, as well as a lino print of grasses produced several years ago, are amongst the references at hand whilst I paint with slips and carve the clay free-hand.

Also below are some pre-fire shots of the hand-built bottle that I recently produced in my continuing adoration of trees and forests. This of course involves a different decorative technique, sculpting three-dimensional branches onto the basic form before biscuit firing, and then drawing onto the fired slip with an oxide crayon before glazing. The results with this slip are always a bit hit and miss, but I love the way the oxides create and irregular bronze-effect that, next to the copper-greens, really captures the earthy, natural, irregular jewel-like aspects of my local woodland.