Artist Statement
Since being a small girl I have loved to draw and was encouraged to develop this through my childhood. My excitement for the magical possibilities of clay began at Art College and these feelings have never faded. Discovering and specializing in the beautiful technique of Sgraffito has allowed me to pair up my two loves of drawing and clay work. I am passionate about this time consuming process and have developed a distinctive and unique style, with each piece being made, and meticulously decorated by hand. Telling a story and trying to capture a fleeting moment in time I find very fascinating. Birds and fish are particular favourites and being such nervous creatures I hope to give the impression they may take flight from a vessel or dish at any moment. My forms and designs are ever changing and I have numerous sketch books waiting to come to life.
The Making Process
Because my decoration is created using clays, carving and slips at leather hard, I am only able to work on one piece at a time. The drying process starts as soon as I begin working and slowing this down is crucial as it gives me time to create my complex designs.
First, detailed pencil drawings are made of the animals and their habitats that I intend to decorate my next pieces with. I throw my forms using a white stoneware clay which are turned whilst leather hard. The smooth forms then go through many different and precise stages to create my raised and coloured slip decoration.
After all the designs have been coloured contrasting slips are added and all the details drawn on by hand using a very thin pointed tool and sgraffito. Each piece is then left to dry slowly before the two firings. After the first bisque I brush a clear glaze onto the main themes leaving the rest of the piece matt creating a tension between the glazed and unglazed surface. The final glaze firing is 1180°c in an electric kiln.
Slip colours
Each one of my slip colours has been created by myself allowing me to develop my own unique colour pallet. My colours have been made using the same clay body I throw my forms from which has been dried and ground down to a powder, I then add a combination of body stains and oxides allowing me to soften the final hue. Each slip can have up to five different stains or oxides added and these have all gone through years of testing to achieve the right colour. The range of slips I use has grown over the years to around fifty and I’m always testing and developing new ones. I enjoy creating my own slips which gives me the freedom and knowledge to match very specific colours in the wildlife and plants I use for my decoration.
Carving and painting my work
Unlike the more traditional use of slips and sgraffito I choose to carve my designs by hand onto my leather hard forms before I have added any slip colour. The carving is a very important part of my process and it creates the distinctive 3D effect on my work allowing my designs to really stand out. This technique has evolved over the years and began because I wanted to control where and how I applied colour to certain areas of my decoration. The work I’m producing today is closer to how a painter applies colour to a canvas, using many different layers and blending to achieve the desired final effect.
Sgraffito
This word translated from Italian means ‘to scratch away’ and has been used by many cultures to decorate buildings, paintings and pottery. It was first used in china during the 11th and 12th century AD and in Europe during the 16th century as relief decoration on buildings.
Education & History
2013 – Present Day
Full time creating detailed sgraffito decorative ceramics
2011 – 2013
Teaching pottery and slipware decoration from my studio
2006
Wellbeloved Gallery Portland Dorset exhibiting work tutoring students
Throwing demonstrations and exhibiting work at Brewers Quay in Weymouth
2001
Bonchurch Pottery Isle of Wight learning production throwing of domestic ware
1995 – 96
Surrey Institute of Art and Design 2nd year of a ceramics degree
1993 – 95
Worthing College of higher education Sussex HND in design
1991 – 93
Portsmouth Art College BTEC in design
Exhibition & Show
2024
Dorset Art weeks open studio
Exhibition of English wildlife with The Sanctuary Gallery Gloucestershire
2023
Wingates Gallery 4th of July show
Wey Gallery new work September
New Brewery Arts showing new work
2022
Dorset Art Festival Sculpture by the Lakes June
Sculpture exhibition Wingates Gallery
2021
Dorset art weeks, Tiffany’s studio will be open daily from the 22nd May until the 6th of June
Exhibition with Cambridge Contemporary Art 2nd of October until the 24th
2020
Spring craft collection New Ashgate gallery Farnham Surrey 19th of January until the 18th of April
John Noott Galleries Battersea Affordable Art fair 12th to 15th March London
Open studio event 25th of April St George’s workshops Portland Dorset
Show of new works with Helen Millard at Old Chapel Gallery Abbotsbury Dorset May 25th
Wingates Gallery Independents mixed show 4th of July Leicester
2019
Show case of a ceramics with the Contemporary Ceramics Centre Bloomsbury London
New show of works at ReallyVeryNice Church Street Bury St Edmunds
New show of works at Wingates Gallery Market Harborough
New show of works at Hope Art Publishing Redbrick West Yorkshire
New show of works at Old Courthouse gallery Market place Ambleside Cumbria
2018
Three person show with Gael Sellwood at Cambridge Contemporary Art
A pot in the hand exhibition at The Round House Gallery Derbyshire, DE65 5DL
2017
Art in Clay Hatfield House
John Noott Galleries Art fair 18th to 22nd October London
Foss Fine Art London mixed Christmas show 11th of November
Sunny Art Centre Gray’s Inn road London
Making Dorset 7-20th December Bridport Art centre Dorset
2016
Art in Clay Farnham Maltings
Erwood Station Gallery Builth Wells Powys
Ferrers Gallery Staunton Harold Leicestershire
2015
The Junction Gallery Woodstock Winter show
Cambridge Contemporary Art three person show & demonstration of Sgraffito
Biscuit Factory Newcastle upon Tyne
2014
Walford Mill Crafts contemporary craft centre Wimborne
Harlequin Gallery with Helen Millard Taunton
Dorset Art Weeks open studios, my studio open to the public
Spring Discovery, National Trust Cotehele Gallery, Saltash, Cornwall
2013
Noel National Trust Cotehele Gallery, Saltash, Cornwall
Gallery On The Square Dorchester Poundbury
Flora & fauna Cambridge Contemporary Art Cambridge
2012
Make, Crafts for Christmas Devon Guild of Craftsmen
Dorset Art Weeks open studios
Cambridge Contemporary Art March
2011
Birds of a feather with Helen Millard at Gallery on The Usk
Imagine Gallery Suffolk Nursery Rhymes
Bovey Tracy Contemporary Crafts Fair
Cambridge Contemporary Art Cambridge
2010
Cambridge Contemporary Art Cambridge
Dorset Potters at Bridport Art Centre
West Country Potters at Saltram House
Published
2021
Featuring in the forthcoming July/August edition of Ceramic Review magazine. ‘Masterclass’
2017
Lorikeets & Gum tree vessel selected for the leaflet to advertise Art in Clay Hatfield
Cattleya Orchids vessel featured in June issue of Aesthetica
Interview with images in Inside artist magazine
2016
Kingfisher vessel selected for the leaflet to advertise Art in Clay Farnham
Ryukin fish vessel featured in August issue of Aesthetica
Moorhen dish featured in August issue of The World Of Interiors
ukhandmade online magazine article spring issue
On line interview with House of Coco featured in magazine
2015
On line interview with Zone One Arts
West Country Potters magazine no.136 front cover image article ‘an obsession with Sgraffito’
2014
Article published in May/June issue of Ceramic Review magazine, ‘A potters day’
2012
Photo in Crafts Magazine ‘Woodpecker vase’ Nov Dec issue
Photo in Ceramic Review Magazine ‘Wrens in a tree vase’ issue 254
Drawing onto Clay with West Country Potters magazine
2011
Book cover for Wealden Hill by Graeme K Talboys
Illustrations for ‘Phoenix House’ a children’s book by Carenza Hayhoe
Photos in Ceramic Review Magazine
2008
Article in The Wessex Muse magazine Nov issue
