Each piece that I produce is the result of many years of careful study of the crystalline process. In these stories I attempt to convey some of the inspirations that have contributed to the effects I create.
Porcelain From the Carboniferous Period
With crystalline effects, the glaze is only a part of the process. The type of clay body also exerts a powerful influence on the fired result. For this reason, and many more besides, each potter, working in different parts of the world, each with its own raw...
Edinburgh and Deep Time
Time we may comprehend, 'tis but five days elder than ourselves. Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, 1643. If the Eiffel tower were now representing the world's age, the skin of paint on the pinnacle-knob at its summit would represent man's share of that age… Mark Twain,...
Gritstone and Thunder
Crystalline glazed surfaces have complex structures that change in appearance under different lighting conditions. For this photography session, the weather offered the possibility of some dramatic conditions: it was warm and humid, the wind, so often a powerful force...
Potfest in the Park 2022
Potfest I have exhibited at the Penrith Potfest each year since 1997, first in the pens and from 2007 in the park. It is the focus of my potting year and the source of a great deal of inspiration for my work. Waiting for the show to open on the first morning there is...
Desolation and Decadence
Another of my walks accompanied by one of my crystalline glazed pieces, this one took place on an astoundingly hot day in July 2022. Short of time, with an appointment to keep, I chose a direct 11 mile route to the town of Hebden Bridge: up to the summit of Black...
Bluebell Walk
Inspiration for some of my surfaces comes from nature. My blue-green speckled crystalline glaze has a ground that brings to mind lichen slowly growing on a shaded rock with vivid blooms of flower-like crystals on top. I took this piece with me on a 12 mile walk from...