Simon Carroll trained at the University of the West of England in Bristol and, until recently, lived and worked in Hereford where he was an occasional teacher at The Royal National College for the Blind. His initial inspiration stems from the vigorous jugs and vessels of traditional country pottery – earthenware simply decorated with slip (liquid clay). His work starts from a thrown form which is then pushed and pulled into a wild expressive shape. Carroll’s thumb marks can be seen and felt within the clay while the coloured slips drip and run down the sides. Each ceramic piece seems to develop its own crazy personality conveying an excitement with the material and the process. These are works designed to appeal to the senses.