‘Tender the Garden’ centres around my work as a ceramicist, painter and gardener. Using inspiration from my own garden to depict the growth, resilience, community and determination found within the space. 

Four large scale oil paintings act as keystones of the exhibition, with eighty sgraffito ceramic pots connected with similar imagery to the paintings. All the pieces play with the real and imagined inhabitants/visitors to the garden space including depictions of plants, insects and birds. 

The garden has been my refuge for many years. The pleasant street garden has been a project for a decade since moving to Truro. I first began planting with the goal centered around feeding my household but it quickly changed as I noticed more and more insects and birds relying on it for sustenance. It now holds roughly 100 plants that create refuge for numerous pollinators. The garden itself is surrounded by concrete and townscape but inside the fence are over 100 plants that provide refuge for pollinators and myself. Each year I replace more of the grass with native and pollinator friendly plants.