I was first introduced to ceramics at school, I was extremely lucky to be taught by a brilliantly enthusiastic teacher who instilled her deep fascination with clay in all her students. I went on to complete a degree in ceramic design at Camberwell College of Art in London and then a postgraduate year at Edinburgh College of Art.  

I set up my studio in Edinburgh almost immediately after completing my degree, but this was supported by a portfolio of part-time jobs including teaching which progressed into a lecturing position at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee.  

Throughout my teaching career I continued to make work and the two arms of my career worked in tandem for over 20 years until I took the leap into full-time making which I have now been doing for 8 years. 

My work is predominantly concerned with the correlation of form and graphic pattern. I make bold simple forms that offer a three-dimensional canvas for me to play with pattern and explore the symbiotic relationship between these elements.  

There are many areas of inspiration and interest that inform my designs, but I would say my love of landscape, both rural and urban, have the most prevalent effect on my thinking.  

I have a deep fascination with colour and pattern and at present it is geometric pattern that seems to be dominant in my designs. I've always loved the work of Bridget Riley, her ability to animate the surface and to feel the physical effects of a patterned surface is very powerful. 

Within my ceramic work I aim to explore the space between the manufactured and the hand-made, my work is clean- lined and sharp, the drawing and pattern making is executed purely by hand, retaining the moment of touch during the making.  

Each form is individually decorated with engraved pattern and then a further layer of coloured slip using an ancient form of carving called sgraffito.  

The body of work I have made for Collect includes the development of new forms that have enabled me to explore surface design in new ways. In addition, I have been working towards a softer palette employing a range of charcoal hues to work in conjunction with colour and gold leaf.