Habitats affected by climate damage 
It all began while sitting among the reeds, gazing at the orange-tinted water gently trickling over rocks coated with a pulsating layer of blue- green algae. The colours were stunning, yet they indicated a troubling sign of water depleted of oxygen and a precarious balance of life. This wetland area was slowly filling with silt as mine runoff oxidises and blocks light from reaching the organisms below. Just upstream lies a section of woodland scorched by wildfire. My Rewilding work arose through visiting these locations - first with watercolour sketches, then acrylic paintings and ceramics using materials gathered from the sites. 

Material Investigation 
As my samples of mine-ochre, wild clay, silt, damaged reeds, burned soil, twigs and charcoal accumulated, I began documenting and exploring these materials, their possibilities and limitations. Wood lignin is a key paper industry material, so I began making paper from recycled wood and paper pulp, recycled cotton fibre, reeds, and plant-based size. Further research revealed the importance of Kaolin, strengthening fibres in recycled paper production creating unique surface qualities. In ceramics, Kaolin is used in glazes, slips and clay bodies. 
So began my deep dive into the complex world of ceramic surface development, testing and exploring new ways to integrate materials from the damaged sites, Kaolin and raw materials into slips, surfaces, and glazes. Subtle hues and vibrant tones emerged, turning charcoal damaged wood, and ochre-stained reeds into complex, layered ceramic surfaces, highlighting the fragility of these habitats. 

Colour 
Whilst life returned to the charred woodland with the arrival of symbiotic lichen, so my variety of new ceramic surfaces grew. These were layered on shallow, lichen-like bowls revealing subtle shades and diverse hues. Excited, I passed 30 of these new surfaces to Josh and his colleagues at GF Smith. The team at GF Smith selected papers from their Colour Plan series that complimented each ceramic surface, revealing a whole palette of vibrant colours. My workspace was soon filled with paper samples, shallow glazed forms and more samples of mine-ochre, silt and charcoal from the sites. New colours crept into my paintings as I sought to capture the diversity of hues observed during site visits. 
Keen to integrate these new colours into my ceramics and find more painterly ways of working with clay, I returned to investigate kaolin and developed a new vitreous slip, which could be coloured using ochre, natural pigments, oxides and mason stains to form painterly layered surfaces. 
As I continue to research and develop ways of sustainably integrating natural materials into my art practice, mine run-off continues to stain the wetland water orange, leaving traces of vibrant silt. I hope in some way my responses to these fragile habitats remind us to live more empathetically with earth. 

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