The Glazed Landscape: Contemplation and Reinvention Through Clay 

In August 2025, Paddy faced a cancer diagnosis, prompting him to reinvent his studio practice due to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma treatment. Restricted mostly to his home and studio, Paddy found inspiration in the Tweed Estuary vistas and upon entering cancer remission, his observed interpretations evolved into 'The Glazed Landscape', a series of wheel-thrown ceramics. Reflecting the coastline, lunar cycles, and topography of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the work showcased his renewed artistic vision. 

Stoneware vessels characterised by their simple form, substantial weight, and a limited use of only black and white glazes to create elaborate surfaces. Hartley uses layers of slip, crawling, glossy black, and Kuan glazes to produce contrasting textures, reminiscent of winter waters and skies, the Northumberland coast's changing atmosphere, and the Moon's arc and surface. The pieces undergo multiple glaze applications and firings, with some effects only possible on a previously glost-fired surface. Inscribing, carving, removing unfired glaze from biscware without giving the impression of having done so in some instances. All crucial steps in achieving the desired surfaces.

In this respect, The Glazed Landscape sits in dialogue with the work of studio potters such as James Tower, whose bold ceramic forms suggested natural and architectural references, and David Roberts, whose raku surfaces create a language of fragility, texture, and rhythm. Hartley adapts these influences, using glaze layering and surface drawing to evoke his own landscape: one of stark contrasts, elemental weather, and shifting light. 

The Glazed Landscape is contemplative, atmospheric body of work, very much rooted in place.