Peter Meanley trained at the York School of Art and Royal College of Art in London and taught ceramics at the University of Ulster until his retirement. A chance photograph of an 18th century 'Whieldon' teapot made a lasting impression on him and around the same time he became interested in salt-glazing, whose orange-peel texture characterises much of his work. He makes one-off functioning teapots with exaggerated features combining a variety of techniques including press-moulding, extruding, pulling, throwing, turning and cutting to assemble the sculptural forms. His Wally Birds are inspired by the collectible bird-shaped jars made by the Martin Brothers in the Victorian period, featuring whimsical, eccentric expressions.