Terry O’Brien & Jacky Cowdrey

Terry returned to pottery after retiring in 2002, having trained in ceramics many years ago at Putney School of Art. He has set up his studio with wheel and kiln at the end of the garden. He has exhibited from time to time with other local artists in Open Studios and at occasional Craft Fairs. He used to make mainly hand-built pieces, slab work, coiling and pinching, but has since been using the wheel to crate variations on the bowl with a range of piercing and decoration. Birds and trees are recurring themes, with his tree-pots signature pieces. Over the last few years he has been developing a range of what he calls Light Pods: decorative closed shapes on stands with internal lights which throw patterns on adjacent surfaces. Terry has always enjoyed the creative process rather than focusing on selling, so he is reluctant to repeat, and events like Open Studios are the only occasions when he exhibits and sells.

Jacky’s love of drawing started at school, beginning a lifelong fascination with the human form. She went onto study Fine Art and Illustration at Twickenham College, developing her love of colour. She works in all kinds of mediums, favourites being acrylic inks, also pastels and oils. She loves portrait painting, painting figures within restaurants or playing instruments and sometimes ventures into the great outdoors to paint landscapes. Life drawing is another passion, she attends classes at the Royal Academy, her happy place and locally. Playing with paint and coloured washes underlined with careful drawing is what she loves doing most.