Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

I love working with clay, and making pieces that create an instant connection. But like the maps that inspire my work, beyond that instant recognition, there are subtle layers of intrigue that invites looking closer, until you can be lost in the landscapes of your own experiences. Combining really tight linework with looser organic textures, the traces of making marks, I want viewers to be compelled to hold the work. I love seeing peoples faces light up when they hold a tiny globe in their palm.

Where do you find inspiration?

The iconic Blue Marble image inspired my pocket globes. There is something so profound about the shift in scale, of humans seeing Earth as a tiny dot, at once fragile and beautiful. When I met Apollo 15 Astronaut Col Alfred Worden, it blew me away that he instantly recognised what I was trying to achieve with my work and commissioned a special edition. I am intrigued by how many alternative ways we can look at the Earth, and how shifting map projections can influence our world view.

What would you do with $25,000?

I would put some towards a new kiln, and a bigger studio. An ambitious plan I am working on at the moment, for which I need funding, is an exhibition on a ship on The Thames. I would like to make more experimental large-scale works about mapping the oceans and rivers. These would pay tribute to early cartographers. It would be great to host art workshops on board alongside, and create an 'Atlas' which shows how connected we all are. The $25,000 would make this dream a reality!