Artist's Statement

 Returning to England after living in Spain (in 1997) I was instantly hooked when offered a tiny pottery flower by its maker. That afternoon began years of part time study and creation, starting with pots, learning the science of glaze making and moving on to sculptural ceramics - at Barnet College, The City Lit and Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute. I still go to the Institute once a week; I like working with others and sharing my knowledge.

Nature inspires me and I connect to life's great mystery with the clay. I don't aim for a perfect finish in part because studio ceramics are not machine made - my work is crafted by hand in the time honoured and time intensive method, not with a wheel. Mostly it is intuitively made, designing itself. Except for the trees I make regularly that continue to develop as yet more time goes by!

The perfectly formed pristine bud is tempered by wind and sun and rain to open into something perfectly imperfect; a leaf nibbled by an insect. I strive for the same imperfection: in counterpoint to the 21st century's tweeting and new media. Unlike a tweet, the wet clay goes through hours of drying and shaping through two or maybe three kiln firings, to final post glaze decoration with other media including specialist ceramic paints. Sometimes it simply ends up in the bin, for clay is fickle and difficult to work by hand unless you are a patient technician, which I am not. Occasionally I may use a picture for inspiration but the final output rarely matches it. The frustration of this is all part of the process. Again this reflects nature - extinct species litter our planet's history.

My creative journey began as a child of 10 decorating boxes with shells and writing what I was pleased to call poetry. A few years later I made jewellery but my patience then was as slender as my years. I enjoy writing the occasional journals that have illustrated my work for the last few years - those words paint pictures of how they came into being, including my intuitive sense of the inherent healing in an individual piece of work. I believe all art is healing beyond what pleases the senses. Sometimes I use crystals as part of the work although these are technically challenging to incorporate.

I am based in North London. You are welcome to visit by appointment. If you would like to know more, please drop me a line at Jill (then the usual at sign) Art2enchant.co.uk.
Telephone 0208 346 3781, 07960 818058