earth VESSELS
each tree vessel I make responds to the time I have spent studying and connecting with a specific tree. An intimate moment, where I choose to listen to the tree’s wisdom and essence of being. Not only do the physical attributes speak to me, such as bark texture, branch formation, folds and crevices; it’s about the energy dialogue between us/

from Crab Apple trees, to Poplars, to Scotts Pine and Sequoia, the choice of exploration and understanding is endless. The variety even within each species never ceases to inspire me/
often I form the grounded base on the Potter’s Wheel, throwing stoneware clay while remembering…then I build upwards in coils, blending, pressing, cutting and folding. Coiling conjures the same concentric circles which represent a tree’s life, much like each coiled layer represents a moment in making time in my own life, in my studio/
The completed form is finished with wild clay slips which I forage from various locations on my travels. The inner space of the vessel is covered with a water tight glaze for functional use/
every tree vessel is unique, some even made incorporating woven willow and wire to suggest reaching branches; each one is marked with my signature ‘S’ on the base
earth VESSELS
a chance discovery by land, a natural crevice in the ground, wild foraged clays damp in my curious hands, all guided by Mother Nature – that is the recipe for each and every earth vessel I make/
every one I have ever made, and will make, represents a depth of connection with nature that continues to feed my soul. This time spent truly connecting with nature’s elements, while resting on her earthy foundations, has been a revelation to me; so I wish to share it with you/
coiling, stoking, blending upwards from the earthy hollow, reaching to the skies; nature speaks through her elements as I make – the wind, the air, the sunlight, sometimes even rain/
as I work, I enjoy inviting commercial clays and wild clays to assemble in layers, allowing the moment to evolve and unravel in time and space. As the form matures, I forage dried grasses and twigs to light a fire inside; this helps harden the clay, so the vessel can be lifted and ‘born’ from the ground. This fire making is a ceremony of types – a shamanic offering to nature/
most earth vessels remain air dry when lifted from the earth – I resist the urge to immortalise them in a kiln. the fragile beauty of the clay transforms depending on the moisture in a room – like a living entity, continually responding and changing/
often these earth vessels form part of curated exhibitions as examples of land-art. I also guide people to make their own earth vessel during ‘Making & Mentoring in Nature’ sessions. That way, you too can benefit from the wellbeing experience of making and creating in nature/