Glazed pottery, although very familiar in the form of ornaments and domestic wares, can have an intrinsic and seductive beauty. Traditional pottery figure ornaments often tell stories in a direct and accessible way.

By using the look of traditional pottery ornaments in my sculptures I want the same immediate appeal to the viewer with bright colours, lustrous surfaces and a story that seems at first glance, to be a simple one.

In the sculptures of groups of figures I have given each figure the face of a real person and then ‘cast’ them into the role of footballer, soldier, businessman, etc. by providing them with a costume. It is important that the faces have individuality and character and I have paid particular attention to the expressions on the faces and the gestures made by the hands. I see the figures as actors or puppets or “grown up” dolls and, like a child’s game or theatre play, the plot seems straightforward enough but the real drama is deeper.

In response to the detailed characterisation, the viewer is invited to invest each figure with a “personality” and speculate about the character’s individual motivations and feelings.

There is no final and fixed position for the figures in each group. This holds out the possibility to play with the sculpture’s meaning by moving each figure and so changing the relationship of one figure to the others. The viewer can then imagine how each personality, gesture and facial expression build up a story within the group of figures.

I want the sculptures to suggest stories of human feelings, relationships, identity, humour and dignity

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