I’ve been a Teacher and Teacher Librarian for over 40 years where I have incorporated visual arts into every corner of the curriculum.. On retirement, I enrolled in Higher Education courses through TAFE across 4 campuses in NSW, seeking the best teachers available. I completed Diplomas in Fine Arts, Visual Arts and Ceramics. I was privileged to meet Stephen Hall and Paul Davis who inspired and allowed me to take risks. Such mentors are invaluable as an artist.

I’ve been an inveterate sketcher and designer for all my life. Whilst in Ceramics at Newcastle TAFE I met with Paul Davis a master ceramicist who allowed flexibility of approaches. I started to see a new approach to my work. I had been a oil, pastel and watercolourist since retiring 10 years ago and saw so many fabulous artworks that were just hanging on walls so I began a quest to develop a new approach to make my art creating functional ceramic works as receptacles of fabulous culinary delights. Hence the to desire to create works that incorporate my artworks on to the ceramic surface. A diverse library of books followed to explore the ceramic surface. I initially sought a more modern approach to Ceurda Seca methods that were used in Persia in the 14th century. As I wanted food safe works that didn’t compromise the design works my journey expanded to Deruta in Italy where Majolica works were the most sought after tableware for the rich and really wealthy.. I started with earthenware clays at first which were less costly to fire and many types of glazes/stains available. After a number of successful exhibitions, my works began to be sought..

The turning point was the ability to create very fine glaze that at first remained as a wall on the ceramic surface in the style of Ceurda Seca. After countless experiments I aquired soft plastic bottles that allow many hours of work without hands cramping. Stopping the openings of the application needles from clogging became the next challenge. I now have a variety of needles from 0.15 to 0.21mm to now draw and apply glazes with that at times require wire thinner than sewing pins to keep open.

Being a travel sketcher and urban sketcher I began to place artworks on large platters that would engage visitors in their own travels. These could be hung on a wall and taken down to use at a dinner party. Being an Aquarian water always became a magnet and the fish designs were a new endeavour. Art should be a medium to lift the spirit of the user hence the comical denizens of the deep emerged as a useful activity at markets in between selling ceramic works.. My market call was ‘Fresh Fish” to the crowds passing .. yes they were fresh , as the paint hadn’t dried. The next challenge was to replicate these figments of my imagination onto the ceramic surface. Quirky became very sought after. This has led me to now exclusively use Midfire Clays as the new canvas , firing to Cone 6 with new and old glazes.

Designs are drawn in bisque fired pieces with a 9H pencil then a line of glaze is used as a wall to capture flooding glazes to follow. I have used underglazes, earthenware glazes and high fire glazes to create the works. These works have a clear glaze applied over the artworks. I have only had one work with high sides where glazes have run but then the end result was much appreciated by the client and became a bespoke work.

Newer pieces have a new product applied rather than a glaze creating a food safe, dishwasher safe and oven safe surface where the texture of the clay becomes a new tactile experience. Liquid Quartz (http://madeofaustralia.com) is a clear water based product that can be brushed or dipped for less than 20 secs .. removed and allowed to dry for 24 hours . The works are then fully functional. It requires 500degrees celsius to remove if required at some time to edit new artworks.