Artists

Elm House Studios

Cath studied Fine Art at Kingston College of Art and gained a 1st Class Honours Degree. She developed her skills further and studied art at Chelsea College of Art gaining a Masters Degree in Fine Art.

She later gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and spent many years teaching art and design.

A trip to rural Portugal studying local potteries with their highly decorated and colourful wares led to a change of direction from painting and printmaking into ceramics.

Having spent some time using the surface of clay as a vehicle for decoration Cath is now exploring the intrinsic qualities of the clay body.

“I am inspired by the constantly changing colours and textures formed in nature. The interplay of opposites, rough smooth, dark light, shiny matt. I use a variety of techniques, clays, oxides and glazes, to alter the surface. I add inclusions and abrade the surface. It is the weather and erosion that interests me. This cannot be planned in nature and to some extent, the chemical changes that take place in a kiln reflect this. I fire to 1260 degrees centigrade (cone 7) in an electric kiln."