The work lies within the tradition of maiolica and celebrates this rich historical medium through the diverse influences ranging from the sophistication of Italian Istoriato dishes through to the simplicity of humble folk wares. I strive for a poetic mastery through pictorial representation with a freshness of palette that belies the difficulty of the process. Once dipped in glaze, the functional objects: dishes, vases, become like primed canvasses awaiting a subject, a fusion of the observed and imagined. The portrait dishes are softly coiled, their painted images built up of composite features observed from friends and characters in films and magazines, garlanded within floral motifs. The cat vases too are portraits whose gentle humour is offset by the suggestive poise of their condensed forms, camouflaged within the painted surface. Influenced by characters from painting and literature the modelled animals and figures take on a more animated nature.

Publications

Collections

Selected Exhibitions

Admiration, 45 cms, £300

Catwoman, Height 54cms, £380

IanÕs cat, Height 40cms, £320

Sitting and waiting, Height. 35cms, £320

Tapestry dog looking up, Height 16cms, £95

Woman looking over her shoulder, 30cms, £275