Tamaru Hunt-Joshi creates her nature and botanically inspired ceramics as Turnstone Ceramics. Her studio is based in Moycullen, Co Galway, Ireland. When she arrived in Ireland in 2007, she was immediately struck with the stunning landscape of Connemara and the Burren of County Clare. Both landscapes are stunning and changeable, and have a vitality in their natural beauty. Originally from the UK, Tamaru found the breathtaking landscape and changeable skies of the West of Ireland quite compelling and inspiring. This along with her previous life as a scientist and ecologist, result in ceramic works that are steeped in nature and landscape. She works with stoneware clay, creating large panels using slip (liquid clay) like paint or water colours, and she combines this with botanical print and engraving, or plant impressions. Her work with stoneware is often unglazed, resulting in a compelling tactile ceramic that she beautifully frames for maximum effect. Her sculptural work and wall panels are Raku fired ceramic (smoke-fired). Her raku bird sculptures often incorporate wire, nails (some quite old nails from boats and old buildings) and wood such as bog oak or driftwood. Tamaru’s inspiration for her sculptural work is a connection between art and ecology, - her interest clay meeting her desire to do something tangible to preserve biodiversity and protect endangered species. Increasingly, she finds herself making work sculptures of endangered or threatened animals and birds to highlight these wonderful species.