A batch of croft houses.

These little houses are inspired by the traditional homes found on Scottish crofts. I make them in small batches, then let the raku firing give each one its own smoky surface.

I have always liked the simple, solid character of traditional croft houses and the history held in those buildings and landscapes. The ceramic houses are my own small response to that.

When I make a batch, I work through them together, shaping the clay, glazing the roofs and painting the red doors by hand.

Then they go through the raku firing and reduction. Smoke settles into the pale clay and the roof glaze shifts, so a row of similar houses starts to take on individual character.

Seeing them together at the end is one of the parts I enjoy most. They begin from the same idea, but the firing makes sure no two come out quite the same.