I was brought up surrounded by ceramics, my father, Peter Morley, made tableware and was very influenced by Leech pottery and Michael Cardew. My mother made, and still makes, fine stoneware sculptural pieces. As a child I was never interested in clay nor pottery, my interest was firmly focused on the native flora in the surrounding countryside.
This changed three years ago, when I signed up to a pottery evening class, since then I have been learning about the vast world of slips, oxides, glazes and hand building enjoying the link back to my parent’s world and my world of horticulture.
Over the past year I have been working to combine plant matter such as willow and homemade leaf cordage with my clay forms. I am showing the fruits of this work alongside landscape paintings by Miriam Sheppard at Somerset Arts Weeks 2018 at my husband’s cidery, Pilton Cider.
Somerset is well known for its cider and creative communities, by bringing the two together we hope to challenge visitor’s preconceptions of the use of natural materials in sculpture, landscape painting and Somerset cider. The location, in the grade II listed Anglo trading estate also raises an awareness of the industrial history of Shepton Mallet and offers a quirky backdrop to our work.
Somerset Arts Weeks 2018 starts on Saturday 15th September and runs until the end of the month. We will be open 11am – 6pm daily.
