Tell us a little about what you make?
Paintings and ceramic tiles.
What inspires you and where do you find that inspiration?
Mostly customer led as commissions but for myself I look to wildlife and our natural surroundings.
Tell us about your favourite medium.
I mostly work in oil paint, but other paints have their different characteristics which can be useful at times. My tiles care mostly earthenware but I use stoneware for those intended to be outside.
What are your favourite and least favourite parts of being an artist or maker?
My favourite thing about being an artist is the calmness and being able to choose what I do each day. My least favourite is posting on social media, advertising and book keeping.
What does being a member of the Ceredigion Art and Craft Trail mean to you?
I am proud to be part of a society of artists that promotes the group and the individual.
How do you manage a work-life balance as an artist/maker?
Not very well. I balance my time between painting, ceramics, teaching and gardening. There’s very little time for anything else.
What are you working on at the moment?
I work with several projects at once to give me variety. I have been designing and making items for pottery painting from clay original, to mould making, to casting. I also have just completed a landscape painting, and am about to make a ceramic wall sign for the Gallery.
How do you know when your work is finished?
I keep going until it can’t be improved upon. I rarely overstep the mark but it can happen.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist/maker?
Advertising well enough to be able to sell enough to live on. The teaching helps with that.
What advice would you give to new artists or makers at the start of their creative journey?
Someone will always come along to buy something when it’s really needed. Have faith, even though on paper it doesn’t work.
