My work is a process of thinking through making, emerging from unrehearsed, intuitive conversations between the physicality of materials, my hands, and a conscious but unintrusive mind in its flow state. The head, heart, and hand are all active and equal participants in this creative process, which is an act of play and presence. The ceramic medium most beautifully captures this energetic and fluid exchange—an improvisational dance that embodies joy and connection.

Having originally trained and worked as a production potter for much of my career, my practice underwent a profound shift in recent years. After developing unexpected physical constraints that affected my ability to sustain full-time wheel production, I pursued a Master of Arts through Research at TUS Limerick School of Art and Design. During this time, I began to approach clay as a painting medium and developed a method of constructing three-dimensional paintings using hand-dyed clay bodies and traditional hand-building techniques.

These expressive pieces sit somewhere between action painting and matter painting. I work with clay initially on a flat surface, creating marks and compositions by adding, layering, and spreading various coloured clay bodies. These “clay canvases” are then shaped into form—sometimes torn apart, reassembled, and built into three-dimensional works. My engagement with charcoal, graphite, acrylic, and mono-printing techniques feeds this process, forming a symbiotic relationship that sustains an ongoing, experimental methodology.

I don’t seek to conclude or resolve anything. Each outcome is expressive, raw, and visceral—one exploration naturally leading to the next discovery.