It's been 10 years this year that I finished the DCCI’s Pottery Skills course in Thomastown.
It seems like a good time to tell you about my history and what I’ve done in those years.
I did a ceramics degree in LSAD straight after school. I had planned on studying painting and becoming an illustrator of children's books but changed my mind after one week of ceramics. (This was during the days students tried out each discipline before deciding their chosen one). Limerick gave me my first proper experiences of throwing and it wasn’t long before I was hooked. During my time there, I learned how to develop an idea into a finished piece, something I have grown to appreciate over the years.
Then came my time in Thomastown. It was a fantastic and intense two years of learning everything needed to be a studio potter - from the glamorous (turning, testing and making glazes, playing with slip) to the less fun jobs (mopping the floor and cleaning out the settlement tank). It paved the way for future prospects.
I knew when I finished, I wasn't ready to set up on my own. I did an apprenticeship with the incredible Julie Ayton in Salisbury, supported by the amazing Adopt a Potter. I loved my time with Julie. I learned and experienced the day-to-day tasks of running of a pottery - admin, marketing, market applications and very importantly, teaching. I never wanted it to end!
I ended up staying in Salisbury for over six years. After my apprenticeship, I worked at the local Arts Centre under Mirka Golden-Hann (Sadly the pottery is no longer there) and Messums West.
Eventually, I took the jump and set up my own pottery in the north Dorset countryside in 2022. My studio was an old cow shed and far from perfect but it was mine! - a sloped floor, drafty doors, no running water and the odd mouse or two. There was so much nature there, more than I have seen anywhere else - rabbits, gold-crested newts, red kites, swallows, swifts, house martins… The list is long.
I was selected for some of Britain's top pottery and craft fairs, Made Brighton, Potfest and Craft Festival to name a few, as well as local markets with Salisbury Arts Scene.
I ran evening classes, teaching students how to throw, coil and hand build pots, slip decoration and glazing. They made the most amazing pieces (some of which you can see here in the student gallery). Some started as complete beginners and others already had some experience. I was blown away by some of the work they made and how much they improved in the time they were with me.
And now? I'm back in the north west of Ireland, looking for a studio to make and teach in. I'm doing up a shed at home until I can find somewhere big enough. I have ideas brimming away and am eager to get back making.
If you would like to say hello to me or see my pots in person, why visit one of the events I’ll be taking part in. You can find out where and when here.