Kate Panter

I am a ceramicist living by the sea at Watergate Bay in Cornwall where I am inspired on a daily basis by witnessing the constantly changing landscape whilst walking my dog on the beach and during my regular kayak and snorkelling adventures. I have always been creative and have been dabbling with clay for the past twenty years but it wasn't until five years ago when I retired from the local police force after 31 years working mainly on CID, that I could dedicate more time and energy to my hobby. I bought a larger kiln, built a studio, came up with some new ideas and started selling my ceramics in galleries. My sculptures and stacks are hand formed using either white Earthenware or white Stoneware clay, then printed and decorated using a variety of paints, glazes and lustres. The Cornish Mackerel pictures are created from arranging numerous individual ceramic Mackerel into shoals waves or balls. They are then attached with clear silicon onto glass or driftwood. Each fish is cut, printed and formed by hand, painted and glazed with six different colours then coated with a Mother of Pearl lustre and fired a third time. Individually creating each fish is a lengthy process but I am rewarded by the beautiful iridescent colouring and fish that are all slightly different, these two factors give the end result a more unique and authentic feel.