Art training

1979-1980        Foundation course, Brighton Poly

1980-1983        BA First Class, Printed Textiles, Manchester Poly

1983-1986        MA Ceramics, Royal College of Art, London

Awards

1985                Prizewinner 'Young Designers' Rosenthal Ceramics, Germany

1987                Crafts Council Setting-Up Grant

Publicity

Crafts Magazine July/August 1992 'Bright as a Button' Cover and article

Radio 4 , Woman's Hour 4.1.93 , inclusion in item on buttons

Represented in book 'The London Crafts' Published by Like Water, Japan 1993

Article in Homes & Gardens magazine November 1995

Reproduction of wall-piece included in The Women's Press Diary 1996

January 1999 Buttons featured in Country Home Magazine, U.S.A. March 1999

Buttons in Country Living Magazine. April 1999 Buttons in Gardens Illustrated

May 1999 Article in Country Life

Commissions

1992                Decorated disc inlays for dresser handles, for calligrapher Brody Neuenschwander

1996                10 wall-pieces for the boardroom of the new Coop Retail Services headquarters in Rochdale

All interesting ideas and commissions will be considered

Since 1996 I have been concentrating more on illustration work

Books include: Gardening with Herbs, George Carter - Ryland Peters & Small,

Wreathes & Garlands, Paula Pryke - Ryland Peters & Small, The Little Prince

Prince Returns - Media Factory Japan, Heirloom Country Gardens - Rodale Press

U.S.A. Courtyard Gardens, Toby Musgrave - jaqui Small

Since 1997 I have been Garden and Plant Illustrator for two magazines in the U.S.A. Country Home and Country Gardens

Painted stones for book 'Sticks & Stones', Mary Maguire. Anness Card designs for Woodmansterne Publications

In 2007 Tile, mug and plate designs for Kenneth Clark Ceramics, Lewes

Selected Recent Exhibitions and Outlets

2000                Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

2006                Brighton Festival Open Houses, Patcham Artists

2007                Brighton Festival

2007                CCA at Collect, V & A, Feb

"I continue to be entranced by the natural world of plants. Looking at growth patterns and the secret details of seeds and leaves and flowers I find my inspiration for decorations of my porcelain miniatures, which become, little ornaments, to wear."

Type of Work

Porcelain; buttons, brooches and earrings, small wall panels, framed or unframed. Designs for printed textiles, ceramic tiles and tableware. Also watercolours and illustrations.

Methods and Techniques

All porcelain work is hand-painted with ceramic colour and high-fired to a temperature of 1260°C. The decoration is all applied by brush, the colour being mixed with water-based mediums. Pierced work is done when the clay is wet, low-fired and sanded before going to the top temperature. Flower-form details are made petal by petal. Pressed leaves and other embossed details are also used alongside the drawn and painted elements. Durability and care. Porcelain is a strong material but will of course break if dropped. Buttons are washable but should be treated with care. They should be well sewn on with strong thread. Small buttons on garments should be turned inside-out or placed in a pillowcase if machine washing or spinning. Large buttons should be removed. Jewellery can be cleaned with soapy water or gently with cream cleaner. All earring fittings are silver.

Designs

"Inspiration is mainly from the plant world. Drawings of flowers, trees, leaves twigs, buds, seeds and gardens form the basis of my designs. These may be botanically accurate studies or more stylized or playful interpretations. From a personal choice for crispness and simplicity I work using black on white, sometimes purely, or combined with colour."