Artist Statement

My background is in ceramics, with a focus on sculpture. My work was strongly influenced by the natural world, especially strange and unusual creatures such as bugs and beetles, pangolin, capybara and anteaters. Other work included figurative sculpture including masks and semi-abstract forms.
I have lived in Glossop for over 25 years and love hiking and exploring the beautiful landscape of the Peak District. This has led to more abstract sculpture attempting to capture the colours and textures of the environment. The human impact on the area is also of great interest to me. The industrial legacy of mining, quarrying, transport, textile production, agriculture, etc. has left its mark on the natural landscape and is also an inspiration to me.
Coming from my interest in Glossop’s industrial past, I first made slip-cast Glossop bricks, creating sculptures and tea light/cactus holders out of them. As I explored the Peak District I started collecting various found objects from which I made clay moulds so that I could cast plaster reproductions of them. These were then used along with some of the original pieces to produce a new range of mixed media sculptures, very textural and decorated with acrylic paints.
This work led to my most recent range of mixed media sculptures entitled ‘Naturally Industrial’. These are larger and more abstract, each one comprises found and reclaimed objects along with natural materials from around Derbyshire. I use things like old rusty bolts, screws, wire and metal work from the past and combine them with natural materials such as sheep’s wool and bones, sphagnum moss, pine cones, feathers and bracken. They are intended for outside display and make eye-catching sculptures for the garden.