Katie is a Wairarapa girl who moved to Nelson in the late 1980's to study Craft Design at Nelson Polytechnic. It was here that Katie discovered clay and began to dabble in the production of decorated tableware and during the early to mid 1990's made a very popular range of functional wares , selling at the Nelson Market and the Martinborough Fair. In 1991 katie produced some sculptural pieces for an exhibition at Gallery One in Nelson. These works were created by rolling out flat strips of clay with a rolling pin and weaving , wrapping and joining them to make a series of boat forms. This " handbuilt clay art " quickly became recognized and before long Katie no longer had time to throw bowls and mugs as the demand for her " handbuilts " had become too great . In the mid 1990's Katie won two of New Zealands premier ceramics competitions. - The Birkenhead Awards and The Cleveland Ceramic Awards. In the year 2000 Katie moved to Upper Moutere Village to share a studio and gallery with her main man - Owen Bartlett. Katie has now been a part of over 300 exhibitions and her work has a happy place in many homes around the world .
