about my work
My pieces are large wheel-thrown vessels and functional ware, altered and marked, by hand with surfaces layered in slips, oxides and glazes. Some are left raw, allowing the firing itself to become part of the work, collecting natural ash and marks from the flame.
Each piece is made by hand and fired for over 100+ hours in the Anagama kiln. During the firing the atmosphere is altered, using fire, air and time to develop depth to the clay body and applied surfaces.
I’ve always loved objects that feel like they’ve lived a life. Pieces with weathered surfaces and worn edges. I don’t want my work to look fresh out of the kiln. I want it to feel as though it could have been discovered in an old cave, unearthed from the ground, or passed through generations of hands. Some of my greatest influences are thousands of years old.
With my work, I aim to create standalone pieces with presence and spirit, objects that resonate with people and hold a sense of permanence.
I feel that’s why I’m drawn to wood firing. I love making pieces that appear as though they’ve already lived a life. As though they could have been unearthed from the ground or lifted from the sea.
I’m not chasing perfection—I’m chasing stories.
about me
I moved to the Northern Rivers in the nineties to study sculpture at the University of New England. My practice has always been rooted in three-dimensional work, and over the years I explored many materials, including clay, metal, found objects, wood and stone. It was through this exploration that I found my way to back to clay and, eventually, to woodfiring. Becoming a potter had been a childhood dream, and when I rediscovered clay and the Anagama firing process, I found a method of making that felt deeply intuitive and connected to the material.
I built an Anagama kiln on my property and haven’t stopped firing since. Woodfiring has become an integral part of my practice and the rhythm of life here. The arts and creativity have always been deeply woven into my family story. My work is influenced by my Mediterranean roots and my ancestors, particularly the ancient landscapes, vessels and the culinary traditions of Malta. I’m drawn to the simplicity, strength and permanence of these early objects and to the traces they hold of the familiar hands that made them.
biography
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Through the Same Fire - Lava Festival Murwillumbah
Clay Gulgong - Women Who Woodfire
NCC Surface Award Curator
North Coast Ceramics President
Board Member Ceramic Arts QLD
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Makers Gallery - CLASH Exhibition
Northern Rivers Ceramics - ‘Endurance’ Exhibition
Board Member - Ceramics Art Queensland
President - North Coast Ceramics
Brisbane Institute of Art - Members Exhibition
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Northern Rivers Ceramic ‘Hero’ Exhibition
Linden Postcard Show
Coraki Arts Classic
Newcastle Cup Show
Byron Writers Festival Sculpture Installation.
‘Unique’ Gulgong 24
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Ocean Shores ‘Arts Classic’.
Elevator ARI Gallery - Ceramic Exhibition
‘Ingenuity’ Sculpture Exhibition - Mullumbimby Museum.
Byron Writers Festival - ‘Wild Imagination’ Sculpture Walk
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Ocean Shores ‘Arts Classic’
Eltham Gallery ‘Presence’ Exhibition
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Lismore Regional Art Gallery - ’21 Elements’ Exhibition
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TAFE Lismore - Graduate Exhibition - ‘Unearthed’
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