Paul Vining grew up in a home environment in which ceramics were prominent and much discussed. His father, Frank Vining was an influential teacher and head of ceramics at Cardiff College of Art during its formative years, when the department gained accreditation for both graduate and postgraduate awards. As a boy, Paul frequently helped his father in the workshop, gaining valuable knowledge of ceramic techniques and processes. Largely self taught, Paul works from a purpose built studio in Cardiff, producing individual pieces of stoneware ceramics. The emphasis is on ceramic form and the pieces are often best displayed in pairs or small groups. Some pieces are thrown on the wheel, while others coiled, and some produced using both tequniques. Coiling is a slow process, but has the advantage of allowing more time in which to consider and adapt the form of the vessel as it emerges. The pieces are fired to 1250-1280 degrees either in an electric kiln, or in a gas kiln which Paul has built himself. He has delveloped his own glazes, sometimes using local materials especially wood ash. His creative influences are diverse: in the field of ceramics, they range from prehistoric pottert to sculpted vessels made by twentieth-century studio potters such as Hans Coper and Colin Pearson. Paul is a menber of the Craft Potters Assosiation and a member of the South Wales Potters.