I create hand built sculptural pots inspired by ancient and traditional cultures. My works combine vessel forms borrowed from Bronze Age antiquity in Cyprus and Greece, reflecting my heritage, with elements from Africa, where I learned some of my hand building techniques. I have also been influenced by the Japanese concept of wabi sabi as well as by the minimalist simplicity of Korean moon jars and pueblo pottery.
My coiling technique gives my pots a certain unevenness and organic quality that resonates with people in this age of mass production. It is also relevant at a time when ceramics is losing its utilitarian image and is rightly being celebrated more and more as fine art.
It is a laborious, meditative process. It can take a number of days just to complete the form with more time needed for working on the surface, drying and firing, often multiple times. Recently I have adopted single fired finishes in response to energy use and climate change. I am fascinated by the variety and quality of raw clay, its transformation into resilient ceramic and the hand building process itself, which is basically unchanged for millennia. I love how the art of ceramics connects us through time and space, to other cultures and eras, and yet is very much of our time.