This year I am taking a break from South East Open Studios to concentrate on training to be a teacher in higher and further education. I am 6 months into the diploma and have been teaching photography to HND year 1 students as well as A2 photography since January of this year. I haven’t stopped making mosaics or working as a freelance portrait photographer, as the teaching is only a couple of days a week. However, sometimes it feels as if it is taking over my life! But I don’t mind, as I’m really enjoying the experience and learning so much – I love working with young people and sharing my skills.
When I’m not teaching or having to be a Mum, the first place I head to is my studio in the back garden for some mosaic therapy. My Cedar wood space is where I work on my commissions from clients who want to brighten up their gardens with my vintage ceramic mosaic sculptures. I love working collaboratively with my customers, engaging them in the creative process, which in turn provides me with a starting point to create a unique piece of art incorporating their ideas and colour schemes.
Last year I introduced the Owl stake, a best seller at Open Studios – it seems I’m not the only one who adores Owls!!! All the brown, tawny, orange designs from the seventies seemed to fit the Owls so well, that to recreate these beautiful creatures in vintage crockery was no problem at all. I found all sorts of patterns and shapes that mimicked feathers, beaks and eyes, that left me truly inspired – here are a few examples of my collection of Owls, now living in their new homes.
