A Marine Biologist turned Potter
The Pottery on Dartmoor.
Living and working in north Dartmoor.
After a lot of TLC, this old granite and cob barn has become my permanent studio. On the edge of the moors, it’s a dream come true.
A corner of The Pottery
On the moors
Shelves of pots waiting to be fired
Starting Life in Devon.
In September 2020, I moved to Devon, where I always dreamed I would end up.
Surrounded by rolling valleys, fields of cows and sheep and the amazing coastlines of the UK’s South West, I set up studio in an old pig sty, underneath a big ash tree. I invested in a bigger kiln and shipped over my lovely three Australian Venco pottery wheels from Australia so that I could start teaching classes again.
I continued to refine my style of warm, earthy, coastal pottery through constant experimenting and inspiration from soaking up my beautiful surroundings. My latest ventures included collecting and working with with local materials, wild clay foraged from the brook down the valley, behind my studio, ash collected from the bonfire and iron oxide deposits.
At the wheel in my Devon studio, throwing with wild clay, collected from the brook.
Inside the studio with freshly made vases
South Devon sand dunes on a sunny day
Return to England.
In April 2020 I moved back to my childhood home in Hertfordshire and set up a temporary home studio.
I converted a 3m x 3m garden shed into a small Pottery in the garden. I invested in a small ‘plug in and go’ electric kiln, made a raku kiln from a galvanised steel bin and set to work making, testing and tweaking new clays and glazes from scratch. For six months amid the pandemic, I pottered around in a creative bubble, selling my work online in monthly shop updates.
My back garden pottery studio in Hertfordshire, UK
Pottery kiln Skutt KM714
Leela at the pottery wheel in the studio
Raw glaze ingredients for experimenting
Pottery studio, Hertfordshire, UK
It all started in the Australian tropics.
I moved to Townsville in tropical north Australia in 2015, as a Marine Biologist.
I researched ways to preserve coral reefs against the devastating effects of climate change. Little did I know that this would also be the beginning of my pottery journey.
I joined an evening pottery class at the North Queensland Potter’s Association in 2016 and with the guidance and encouragement of my pottery teacher and dear friend, Edward O’Brien, I delved into the magical world of clay. I learnt to fire gas kilns in reduction and experimented with raku, soda and wood firings.
After a couple of years, I started teaching my own students, around my PhD studies, as well as selling work online, at markets, in galleries and taking part in exhibitions.
After my PhD, I made the big move and jumped out of the world of marine biology and dived into the world of full-time pottery.
The gas and soda kilns at North Queensland Potter’s Association, Townsville, Australia
Checking the rings during a soda firing at North Queensland Potter’s Association