I live and work in the North Pennines, a beautiful area of wild moorland and fells in the north east corner of Cumbria. The big skies and constantly changing light are a never ending source of inspiration. I choose to use slips to decorate the pots because I get a denser colour and I can get three or four layers which stay where I put them, unlike glazes which run and mingle. I like being able to work directly on the wet unfired clay using it as a painter would use a canvas. Opening the kiln is the most exciting part, the colours only come to life after they have been covered with a clear glaze and there are always some surprises. It’s the fickle nature of the firing process that spurs you on to make the next kiln load.