Where do you get your ideas from?
I look at nature on a micro scale, in particular seeds and plants and structures. It’s interesting to see the forms and growth patterns. My main source here in Ireland is the Teasel plant, but really any plant that has a structural element to its flowers or its seeds, or the way it grows.
How does travel influence your work?
Travel makes you look at things in a fresh way. When you live somewhere you tend to not see things, or you stop seeing. You go somewhere new and it just gives you a fresh perspective, even on your own environment, because it highlights the differences and the similarities.
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Your work is very repetitive – what do you enjoy about that?
There is a point where it is almost muscle memory. You are totally absorbed in it, in the here and now. And then when it gets past that middle stage and it’s coming up to the end I will work past hours just to get it to that point, because when you are finishing it’s the most exciting part.
Is it satisfying seeing people enjoy your work?
If someone likes it and buys it, there is a connection with them on a level that goes beyond nationalities and culture. When I travel I tend to buy something from the place I’m in, directly from the person who makes it, and every time I use it, it reminds me of the connection I have with that person.