I am an award-winning illustrator from Wales and over the years have worked across several disciplines within the visual arts: ceramics, paint, illustration and animation. Research, observation, drawing and painting underpin my work. Most of my life has been spent living in Wales. I was brought up in the Afan Valley and now live at the edge of Monmouthshire, in Border Country. Material connected with the rich socio-cultural, natural and industrial history of South Wales is of particular interest. I am equally curious about the medieval, whether Welsh or from beyond the border. No historical period or place is really off limits. The interior of a medieval house or church is as exciting for me as going down the shaft to pit bottom! The crossovers between science and philosophy, the Spanish Civil War, poetry and the history of social injustice are other areas of interest. When I make a new ceramic piece, the starting point is usually text I have read or something I have heard which triggers an idea. The words may come directly from a book, or maybe something I have come across in a museum or similar. They might be words from the radio or a piece of conversation or testimony. This then gets me thinking creatively about something I could make. I generally throw on the wheel though I do sometimes slab build, depending on what is needed. Hand lettering, drawing and painting might be incorporated later. Each ceramic piece is unique. The work sometimes has a commemorative quality if a person, event, object or living thing is being remembered or marked in some way. I often use handwritten text within the design. These words are sometimes direct quotes from the person being recognised or sometimes they are my own. I also produce much simpler designs with no verbal text at all. These aim to capture the essence of something. Perhaps a flower, bird, or plant species that catches my eye. In the past few years I have undertaken several commissions to make gifts for special occasions such as weddings or to commemorate people’s lives. Part of the process I really enjoy working with clients and helping them to find the right words to use for a piece. From time to time I work using animation as an extension of my drawing practice incorporating ambient sound, spoken voice and song elements. A recent project can be viewed here: For Instagram use the icon at the foot of the page.