Thora has always been drawn to animals. Although active in pottery classes, Thora was in her fifties when she finally got a studio and set up her business, Catwalk Ceramics, in the Eden Valley.

A love of cats and horses has influenced her work. Now her attention is on large (endangered) wild animals as she studies for a Master’s degree in Ceramics at the University of Lancashire, looking at the negative impact humanity has on natural habitats and species including big cats, primates and rhinos. At University, she has discovered a passion for drawing with ink as well as screen printing. However her chosen decorative style for her MA is sgraffito.

Biodiversity and habitat loss, intertwined with climate change, are at the forefront of what Thora’s work is about. The beauty of the animal is a representation of what could be lost if we don’t respond to the ecological issues at hand.