I use the method of hand coiling to build my unique vessels and as each pot is individually hand-built and finished within a smoke-firing no two pots I build will ever the same.  Each has it's own unique character like the pebbles and shells on the beach are individually shaped by their creator.

The making process starts with a ball of clay which I gently pull into a hollow form. Coils of clay are then added to the form which I beat with a wooden spoon in order to thin the clay out and build up the form.  As the clay is soft I can only add one coil a day, so the process is painstakingly slow and so I work on a series of vessels at the same time.  This way of making gives me time to contemplate and feel the mood of the clay and how it wants to be formed within the design I have in my mind.

When the form is complete three coats of slip (liquid clay) are applied. After drying slightly, I burnish each vessel using the back of a metal spoon, pressing down in a circular motion all over the form.  Burnishing compacts the fine clay particles in the slip to give a smooth satin finish.

Each vessel must then dry for a couple of days before it is fired to 1000 degrees centigrade.  This low-fire partially vitrifies the clay ready for the smoke-fire process.

To smoke fire the vessels I place them in a metal dustbin containing sawdust which is then set alight.  The markings on the vessel are the result of the smoke particles penetrating the clay body. Sawdust from different woods, the size of the wood shavings and the point of combustion, all contribute towards the unique pattern that is created on the surface of each vessel.  I have some degree of control over the smoking process, but never total control.  The unpredictable nature of smoke firing means I am always excited when I can finally lift the lid off the bin to reveal how nature has decided to decorate my pots.

After cooling for 24 hours the vessels are removed, cleaned and each given a coat of beeswax and buffed to a satin shine ready for its new home.