My road to pottery - through a career in business, painting and print making

Taking early retirement from business I decided to sign up for a drawing and painting course, something that I had always wanted to do but like many people never had the time. I was a beginner at a rather late age but believed in the adage that you're never too late to learn.

It was through my painting tutor that I discovered print making. I bought a small press for use in what was then my new small studio in our garden and joined the Leicester Print Workshop - a fabulous place with great people.

Having always liked the thought of doing pottery I decided to have a go. I was hooked. The opportunity to make a wide variety of forms, surface textures and glazes gives the opportunity to take an "artistic" approach and widens creative opportunities. The clay can be treated just like any other surface on which to express yourself.

After setting up my own studio at home I rented a pottery at Unique Cottage Studios, Spalding, a truly unique arts centre. I held weekly classes there, teaching around sixty adults per week. I stopped teaching the weekly classes in April 2017 to develop my own work. Fiona Swepson now runs the studio and it goes from strength to strength.

I feel very fortunate to be where I am right now. For most of my career I was member of the "rat race." Since I discovering art and particularly pottery I am as far away from that as you can get - and that's the way I like it!