Ali Hirst is a potter whose hand-built work is inspired by the interplay of natural and man-made forms found in everyday life. She draws creative influence from often-overlooked details, such as the patterns on a 1950s Formica tabletop or the smooth contours of pebbles shaped by the tide.

Ali has developed a meticulous combination of slabbing and coiling techniques to craft her forms, which evoke a strong sense of place. She enhances the surfaces of her pieces with coloured slips, ceramic transfers, and gold lustre, creating delicate and evocative imagery on the clay.

For Ali, the act of making is an expressive and introspective process -  a dialogue between herself and the clay. She relishes the technical challenges of hand-building, continually exploring what the material can teach her and how she can shape it to bring her vision to life.