I have used materials that I have collected myself in my work for a long time, but the start of this project was a major change in my process. Having returned to the UK from living overseas, I wanted to see if I could make pots entirely from rocks and clays found in specific locations, so that they would represent the geology of those places, and in so doing, learn to appreciate and maybe even love the country I abandoned in the 1980's.

Everything we need to work as potters can be found in the landscape around us. For making pots, clay minerals are commonplace, and all the minerals needed to make and colour glazes can be found in rocks. Before potters supply shops were filled with the globally transported products from industrial mining, separation and purification of minerals, the geology of particular places around the world was represented in the pottery made there. The mineralogy of the rocks that make up these landscapes having a profound impact on the range of ceramic qualities possible. Examples are the loess clay based tenmoku Jian wares of China, the porcelain and blue celadons of Southern China, the Shino ware of Mino, Japan, and the one-stone kaki glaze of Mashiko, Japan.