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James is a ceramic artist and teacher specialising in alternative firing techniques. With over 40 years of experience both as a maker and a teacher, and a fascination with fire, he has a wealth of knowledge of throwing, glazing and firing.

James’s work combines throwing and hand building techniques to explore his fascination with organic forms and the dramatic contrast between surfaces. He takes inspiration from the natural world, largely rock, shell and mineral formations, weather patterns and the elemental forces of nature, with the effects of heat and smoke on the materials he uses being central to his timeless aesthetic. The simplicity of his forms allow the dramatic contrast in tactile and visual qualities of surfaces to come to the fore. The occasional pinched, pulled, or torn element further reveals the intrinsic malleable qualities of the clay body, and the hand made nature of the piece. Specialising in a unique four part firing technique, he has built a range of firing chambers on order to perfect his distinctive finish

James trained in ceramics and 3D design at Loughborough University after which he sold most of his degree collection to Liberty's of London. He taught ceramics for 34 years and now produces work in his small studio in Bristol.

Liz is a painter, printmaker and art and ceramics teacher. She works in a variety of media including oil, mixed media, collage, geli print, and clay. Her work is inspired by the forms, textures and colours of landscapes and coastal areas. She works from photos, drawings and memories of places she visits, using gestural mark making to express something of her experience. The ever changing weather and atmosphere are a constant fascination and her large scale paintings often feature wild, mountainous places where she tries to capture a dynamic sense of these vast, largely untouched and potentially hostile domains. Her abstract print making and collages use shapes, contours and textures gathered from journeys like stones and shells gathered on a beach; Walks taken become lines through the page, views and glances pondered are overlayed on each other and merge to create multiple perspectives, sometimes dramatic, sometimes gentle. Liz studied Ecology at UEA and she continues to be interested in the natural world and our place in it. She works as a secondary art and ceramics teacher alongside producing her own work.

James and Liz 's work complements each other and they are now working on collaborative projects together. They divide their time between Bristol and their workshop set up in the barn at their rural farmhouse in the Pyrenees mountains in France. The energy and drama of this rich mountain wilderness provides much inspiration and a beautifully tranquil setting in which to work.