Peter Hayes English, b. 1946

The distinctive appearance of Peter Hayes' ceramic sculptures comes from the techniques like Raku firing to which he subjects them, but also from the fact that he submerges them in the flowing river beside his studio, or sends them to Cornwall to be washed in the sea for months at a time. The water washes minerals such as copper and metal oxides into the basic white clay with which Peter works, creating a characteristic green-blue "blush" in his sculptures along with random elements that make every piece unique. The effect is to create objects that look ancient, and perhaps even a little alien. Peter's creations are generally finished by waxing and polishing.

Peter Hayes was born in Birmingham, England in 1946. At age 12, he was selected to attend the Moseley School of Art. In 1961 he left to study at the Birmingham College of Art before travelling extensively in Africa. Over the course of several years, Peter worked as a ceramic artist with tribes and village potters who inspired him with the exquisite work they produced using very limited technology and tools. Moving on to India, Nepal, Japan, Korea and New Mexico, he found similar skills and adopted the techniques he learned. In 1982, Peter came home and built a studio in a disused toll house on Cleveland Bridge, Bath.

Peter's works are in many public, private and corporate collections in the UK and abroad and he is represented exclusively in St Ives by the Porthminster Gallery.