About Me

About Me
My pottery journey started when I was 17, when I was lucky enough to try a potter’s wheel at school. I made two pieces, both of which I still have, and I absolutely loved it.
I didn’t know it at the time, but there was a little spark there that would come back to me many years later.

From Animation to Clay
After school, I studied engineering at Southampton University before joining a consulting firm in London. The people were great fun, but I never really connected with the work — it just wasn’t me.

Then I had one of those unexpected turning-point moments when I visited a computer show. I saw some of the first rendered 3D graphics being used as a games trailer, shown on huge screens, and the look of it completely gripped me. I knew there and then that I wanted to create art like that.

That led me into 3D animation, and later medical animation, which became my main work for around 25 years. I loved creating believable worlds full of colour, texture, lighting and atmosphere. I have always taken huge pleasure in shape, colour, texture and the way light plays across surfaces.

Looking back, it makes sense that pottery would eventually pull me back in.

Finding Pottery Again
After many years of animation, I still loved the visual and textural side of the work, but something in me wanted to make something more real — something you could actually touch and hold.

So I signed up for an evening pottery class, remembering how much I had enjoyed it at school. Almost immediately, I felt that old excitement come back. The teacher was kind and the other people were lovely — Thursday evenings quickly became one of my favourite parts of the week.

Once a week soon wasn’t enough, so I started going to weekend open sessions. Then twice a week wasn’t enough either, so I took a deep breath and bought my own wheel and kiln.

From there, I became completely absorbed. I practised constantly, experimented with primitive pit firing, tested endless glazes — I’m now at over 600 test tiles and counting — and developed new shapes and forms.

Why Handmade Matters to Me
In the early days, I focused mostly on decorative pieces. Then my wife gently pointed out that, despite all the pottery, we didn’t actually have much handmade pottery in our own cupboards.

So I started making mugs, bowls, plates and useful everyday pieces.

That was a real turning point. When the first handmade mugs came out of the kiln and we began using them at home, they felt completely different from the mass-produced pieces we had been using before. They felt warmer, more personal and more human.
It wasn’t about them being perfect. It was about the small differences, the feel in the hand, the glaze, the weight, and knowing that each piece had been made with genuine care.

That feeling is now at the heart of what I make.

What I Make Now
These days, I make wheel-thrown stoneware pottery from my Sussex studio, with a focus on pieces that feel good to use.

I care about the details: the curve of a handle, the shape of a bowl, the way a glaze breaks across a surface, the feel of a burnished base, and whether something feels friendly when you pick it up.

My signature Sea Smoothed Pebble glazes took many months to develop. I wanted them to have a natural, slightly varied quality — like stones smoothed by the sea — with enough movement and texture to make each piece feel quietly individual.

I launched on Etsy in 2025 with a small range of handmade ceramics. Having my own website was always the goal, because it gives me the freedom to show the work properly, tell the story behind it, and keep developing the range in a way that feels true to me.

And here we are.

Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me.

If you'd like more insight into me and my making process you might find my Newsletter interesting! 😊