About Me
Welcome
I’m Emma a ceramicist and teacher living in Hindhead, Surrey. I create ceramics inspired by nature and infuse my love of texture into all my work.
I hand sculpt the garden ornaments, focusing on making each piece slightly different and unique. And I can teach you how to do this too in my workshops!
My inspiration comes from nature, including wildflowers and seed heads that I find while walking in the local countryside, as well as flowers and birds in my garden. I also have an interest in botanical drawings; although scientific, they are not exact representations like a photograph, instead, they show us the details of a plant through the eyes of the artist. I hope to capture this in my work.
My time is shared between making my own ceramics and teaching workshops from my studio.
How I discovered and then re-discovered pottery
My mum likes to remind me of the time I dug clay out of our back garden (aged 7) and carefully shaped it into the letters to spell her name which I gave to her for her birthday present, I sculpted cups and bowls too. At 12 years old I was lucky enough to go to a Saturday morning pottery class in Guildford as I’ve always loved making things with my hands.
After a textile degree, working as a Primary school teacher and neglecting pottery for many years. I decided I needed some dedicated creative time, so during a pottery evening class in 2014 my passion for clay was re-ignited and I was hooked! I immersed myself in pottery and found a couple of wonderful pottery teachers at West Street Potters – Julia Quigley and Myra McDonnell who took me under their wing.
My ceramic style is still informed by my love of pattern and texture which I was able to explore during my textile degree. And I use my skills as a teacher during my workshops. I now feel like I have found my true passion in life and it’s such a privilege to be able to work as a ceramicist. I was especially thrilled to be nominated for the Surrey Artist of the year competition in 2022.
Built To Last
I create textured seed heads and flower ornaments for the garden with a green glaze to enhance the impressions and a bronze glaze which catches the sunlight. I also make botanical vases and hanging bird decorations which are impressed with my hand carved lino prints to create tactile designs that have a recognizable printmaking style. Each piece is deliberately unique, similar but no two seed heads will ever be the same.
Every ceramic ornament is high fired to ensure they are frost resistant and can be left outside in winter. Plus the metal rod will rust beautifully over time.
The technique I enjoy the most
I absolutely love hand building, I get lost in the making process, I am thinking through doing. I find that it’s a very mindful activity and people who come to my workshops often comment on how therapeutic it is. I delight in creating something beautiful and unique from a lump of what is essentially just mud!