Made from a round sphere, pinch pots are made in a series of between 5 and 8 at a time. These bowls are made slowly and methodically, creating unified objects whose inside and outside are equally considered, aiming for thin walls and a small point of balance. They are designed with references to ancient neolithic pottery and forms that hint to a close connection with our ancestors.

USING NATURE'S GIFTS

Pinch pots are biscuit fired to 980C and finished using low impact methods.

I use willow, drift wood and waste wood as fuel for the firings and fire pieces inside oil drums, brick chambers or dustbins. Seaweed and other combustible materials destined for the compost bin surround the bowls to create surface texture and colour. Sometimes bowls are enclosed in a sealed container called “saggar” filled with more combustible material to create localised effects. This method of firing and the results are unpredictable and exciting.

INSPIRATION

I imagine a path tread lightly by our ancestors, maybe walking in the same tracks, tracing the same curve in particular stone, especially at Borth beach with its petrified forest and clay fingers reaching for the sea. Simultaneously, my interest in Neolithic pottery and various visits to museums have revealed unifying archetypal vessels perfected over time. What these have in common is their timeless aesthetic appeal. Shapes formed to fulfil certain functions with proportions well considered. Borth bowls become small tokens of remembrance and gratitude.