The Centre-piece of The Wine and Dine Collection - The Fruit Bowl

The fruit bowl has been developed over the last few years. This was initiated after being asked to make a large bowl by one of the independent galleries I partner with. As I have been mulling over a collection this year, the Fruit Bowl seemed to be the perfect centrepiece for the Wine and Dine Collection that my Gravy Jug inspired.

Japandi style has always been of interest to me. After studying ceramics as a young adult, I loved learning about Japanese culture, its connection to nature, and its Wabi–sabi philosophy of the beauty of imperfection.

I visited Sweden in my mid-twenties, visiting the archipelagos of Gothenburg and staying in a cottage sandwiched between the sea and a forest. Foraging for wild mushrooms with my Swedish friend, I was quietly influenced by the tranquil aesthetic.

The craftsmanship of the bowl is essential to me; they are thrown on the potter’s wheel and then returned once cheese-hard to turn. I am following the patient process of the material, intensified by the object's size (28 cm wide and 14 cm high) and allowing the piece to dry slowly under plastic between the different stages. This process can take up to eight weeks, depending on the temperature of my studio. Pottery is a slow art that cannot be rushed, and this mediative process links back to the Japandi-style ethos.

This combined style is embraced in the refined texture of the object; the exterior surface of the bowl, which feels like a sandy stone surface, complements the smooth feel of the glazed interior. It allows the user to be reminded of the nature that inspired it.

The calming natural colours of the three shades, dark blue-grey and pale grey-blue, are inspired by different skies and the sandy beige is influenced by the colours found around rolling rivers. Each colour is natural and calming.

These three bowls photographed here are each unique in form and colour. They have been carefully crafted over this year. I look forward to seeing them find new homes and create a uniquely crafted centre-piece in their new environment.