I'm Maureen Halson. I live with the youngest of my four sons in a charming country cottage near the English cathedral city of Canterbury. This idyllic environment helps give me inspiration for my figurines. I was born in Birkenhead, the eldest of seven brothers and sisters, and remember vividly how I first became interested in clay modelling. As a child I loved painting and drawing, but my school's facilities were sadly inadequate for studying art. Much later, when I had young sons, I became interested in hobbies such as sewing, embroidery and even cake decoration. A major turning-point came when my family was living in East Anglia. I decided to try an evening art class and the only one available was a pottery class in the next village.