The designs on my pottery tend to be brightly coloured and bold or striking. Some patterns have been derived from African sources, such as Dogon art and the wonderful traditional textiles of the Kuba Kingdom in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These often show a complex pattern with irregularities, and these irregularities only add to their power and appeal. Other patterns used are based on Spanish blue-and-white traditional pottery.

Amazing patterns are found in nature and I intend to explore some and attempt to fit them on to the round curves of a bowl, mug or jug. These include tiger stripes, whale shark spots, and other stunning patterns and colours found on zebras, giraffes, okapi, leopards…

Part of the appeal to me of these designs is that no two pieces of pottery are quite the same, as the patterns depend on being made by hand, with the hand painting almost deliberately not replicating like a machine. Also when considering the stripes of an animal like a zebra or tiger, each individual has their own version of the general pattern but each is unique and different, just like finger-prints are unique to every human being. It is more interesting to maintain this individuality when making pottery bowls.

I hope you like them too.