If you follow my social media, have chatted to me about my work, or are one of the lovely people who reads these blog posts (thank you!), you'll probably know that my ceramics don't begin with clay. They begin with stories. I write narrative poems in rhyme and then create ceramic interpretations of them. The pieces aren't literal illustrations, they're moments, fragments and characters lifted from a much larger imagined world. Once they're out in the open, they're free to bec

June turned into a very busy month, in the tradition that May had set. I suspect this may be a new pattern to my studies. Leaving aside Ceramic Wales, as I have written a separate blog regarding that event, I shall endeavour to analyse the rest of June's progress. Life before Ceramic Wales saw me continue working really hard to finish the pieces I required to take with me to the fair. In the end I had three plaques, ten limited-edition mice, two busts, Lady Delores and Her We

The second weekend in June saw the second-year students from University of Lancashire present their work at Ceramic Wales. This is an annual event, and each year sees a variable number of students. For 2026, there were three of us, Shenac Singleton, Lucy Hope and me, Maxine Callow. One of us had to volunteer to correspond with Ceramic Wales and Uni Lancs and I was duly nominated. It wasn’t an onerous task. A few emails and ensuring payment was made for the stand. The e

Long ago I made a stop-frame animation video for a song for my daughter’s band, Hello Mabel. It was in the Zambian heat and it took me a week to get all of the pictures, hindered by the heat keep melting my Plasticine models. It was fun, time-consuming and a labour of love. This week I decided to make another for social media to promote my attendance at Ceramic Wales. Using my ten wee mice, I wanted to have an amateur, old fashioned, Victorian feel to it. In the studio

In May I completed Lady Delores and Her Weaponised Parasol. She took me six full days simply to build, another five hours to repair (see my previous post), and then a few hours to glaze. All in all, this made me recognise that, as fun as she was to build, and she was, in terms of business, I was never going to be able to financially recoup these hours on the piece. It was time to take stock and apply my business brain to my practice. I will never stop making pieces simpl

The month of May has been less merry than tradition states and more of a festival of stress. The older I get, the less I cope with deadlines, and this last month has been lived under the looming cloud of Ceramic Wales. I'm an organised kind of person and this should have been fine, but I've had a few disasters that set my progress back somewhat. My plan was to have Lady Delores and Her Weaponised Parasol as a large piece, alongside Jago Deaders 1881 RIP as the main pieces for

This month's analysis of progress is less based on my Learning Agreement and more a commentary on what I have been up to marked against more personal and business-based progress. The main 'event' of the month was UCLAY Ceramics. This is an exhibition of alumni, staff and artists in residence connected to the University of Lancashire Ceramics department over recent years. Second-year students put together their work in progress in a couple of cabinets upstairs from PR1 Gallery

My introduction to Grayson Perry was not through art per se. Returning from living in Zambia in 2020, I’d had a gap for many years in British culture. I happened upon a repeat of a 2018 Channel 4 documentary, ‘Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage’. In this programme, Perry explored the secular rituals surrounding death for the Toraja people in Indonesia. I found it informative, moving and interesting, with Perry’s presenting being warm and inciteful. As he made art pieces for

I’m periodically struck by my work lacking a serious conceptual core. It’s something I have started to consider throughout my MA journey as my motivation behind my art has been questioned, and it leaves me feeling lacking. To be fair, it’s necessary to question my motivation for my learning, as it’s important to recognise what drives me to pursue my craft. But is my sense of feeling lacking down to my own confidence, or is it an entrenched opinion proffered around in conte

This analysis is based on my Learning Agreement from this current module. It is undertaken to aid me in seeing my progress. During this module, my Learning Agreement somewhat switches from its format and forms the basis for my final written module, the poster. I'm only including relevant points for this blog, not all my objectives. To design and make ceramic forms, primarily in stoneware, that visualise these narratives I have taken a detour this month on my building plans. I

We had a peer group chat last Thursday morning about whether it’s worth chasing followers on social media. To me, it feels like an onerous chore: making videos or endlessly photographing work, editing into reels, choosing music, finding relevant topics, shaping a brand, posting at peak times, and doing it all consistently. The list goes on, and the rules shift often enough that you’re always trying to keep up. I don’t follow any one person closely; I prefer a mix of ceramic a

I’ve written before about my Nana in my blogs, and even in an assignment. You may recall that she was a huge influence on me in so very many ways, but particularly in all things creative. She was as soft as a brush my Nana. She told the best stories, was very talented at sewing, and could turn her hand to most things, including playing the piano. She was incredibly vain and always had a French manicure, her hair done and her lipstick on. She would do anything for any of

This analysis is based on my Learning Agreement from this current module. It is undertaken to aid me in seeing my progress. This module, my Learning Agreement somewhat switches from its format and forms the basis for my final written module, the poster. As such, this reflection serves not merely as an account of what I have achieved, but as an opportunity to critically consider how my practice is developing and where tensions, gaps and opportunities for further enquiry remain

I feel the need to investigate the history of narratives, particularly storytelling, using ceramics, as this could be very informative, nay essential, for my own practice. Over the last year or so, I have undertaken focused research into narrative ceramics. Visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum (specifically looking for narrative works), alongside County Hall Pottery’s Narratives in Clay exhibition, broadened my understanding of how ceramics can communicate meaning. Many

This analysis is based on my Learning Agreement and is intended to help me reflect on, and assess, the progress I have made since the August assessment. To write short rhymes that form the basis of original character-driven stories Since August, I have started using a dedicated book for my narratives. This has taken the stories off my phone and iPad, out of my head, and into a physical space where I can properly work with them. Importantly, it has allowed me to work on more t

Yes, it's testing. Testing my patience and my understanding. Glazing. As previously noted in another blog, glazing is my least favourite aspect of ceramics. I think it requires a set of skills that I thinly possess. I’m doing my utmost to learn as much as possible about glazes that I require, but I seem to make little progress. I’ve decided on an end product. I want my stoneware to look dirty with a matte surface. There will be relevant colours applied depending on the piec

Did you ever put your dog in a coat? I have a cousin who often dressed his dog, Barney, in natty crocheted hats. My daughter's pooch, Mabel, had her own entire wardrobe. Our late departed numpty, Bonaparte, had a variety of coats, jumpers and even boots for his return to living in Blighty after eight years in the Zambian heat. I have even been known to have coats for the chickens. Totally unnecessary, but it amused us no end. The dictionary definition of Anthropomorphism st

There are many musicians, or actors, or celebrities, who dabble in painting, or ceramics, or other media. We can all espouse an opinion on Boy George's paintings, Robbie Williams' ceramics, or Billy Connolly's sculptures. For me, for the most part, I think we should let anyone get anything they can from any form of media. Cashing in on their name/brand is a whole different debate, and not something I need to discuss here. Quite a while ago I noted Nick Cave's foray into ceram

I’m often asked why I chose to work in ceramics as opposed to other media. I find it a strange question. For me, it’s more a case of why wouldn’t I work with clay? I shall try to shed some light on my choices. When I was a child, all of my pocket money was spent on art materials. Most of my birthday and Christmas presents were art related. I would spend hours making things - sewing, knitting, papier-mâché, painting, chalking, Plasticine, Play Doh, cogs and wheels, nailing thi

Did you ever have one of those great ideas and you go with it and then something major that you have missed slaps you round the face? Well, that happened to me last week. Having decided to base my ceramic practice on my own rhyming stories, I have never actually considered if they were up to the task. It hit me last Monday, and it suddenly seemed very pertinent to check that what I write isn’t actually twaddle. I’ve never had anyone look at anything I write other than fa