Anna Noel was born in Swansea, South Wales and lives on a farm on the Gower Peninsula. She specialises in non-functional figurative raku ceramics, usually of animals. With head cocked slightly to one side, the expression on this cat’s face is instantly endearing. It has been hand modelled and raku fired, cooling the work quickly and plunging it in sawdust after firing. This gives the slight crackled effect in the glaze. The spots are created where no glaze has been applied and the smoke of the sawdust firing seeps into the clay turning it black. The different surface textures can be felt as you run your fingers across the body.