What do you make?
Thrown porcelain tableware, bottles and vases. Ilso sell to galleries, shops, restaurants and online. I have recently made cake stands and plates for Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa restaurant in Piccadilly and the Clove Club in Shoreditch.
Tell us how you do it
I throw porcelain on the wheel and fire in an electric kiln. I make my own glazes from raw materials rather than buying commercial glazes and ceramic stains. I’ve written several books on glazes.
I like to show the hand of the maker, leaving throwing lines and impressing dimples into the freshly thrown clay. I have recently started to flute bowls and vases and to make still life groups of bottles.
What inspires you?
I love the texture of marble, eggs and shells, matt on the outside and glossy on the inside. I also love the colours of lichen; mustard yellow and grey. Throwing pots is like meditating. I love the smooth feel of the porcelain.
What has motivated you?
I did science A levels, and learned to throw with a Harrow-trained studio potter. I joined the pottery society at Warwick University and went on making pottery at evening classes until I could buy my own kiln and set up my studio. I had financial help from my husband and parents. My breakthrough was selling my tableware to Liberty in 2007. I worked as a scientific researcher at Imperial College before becoming a potter
What’s a good studio for a potter?
Well, I have three sheds in my garden in West London: a studio, a kiln shed and one for storage. I have a transparent roof, which lets in the light and cold water which is plumbed in. My location means I can easily deliver orders to shops and restaurants.
A favourite tool?
A “rib” for throwing on the wheel – a flat bit of wood with one straight edge and one curved. It helps to shape the inside of a bowl or the outside of a cylinder.
And your ambitions?
I would like to make larger pieces and more still life installations.
Any advice?
Keep practising, never give up.