ABOUT THE WORK
I make sculptural porcelain vessels, tall standing forms and wide open bowls that are designed as contemplative statement pieces giving tactile and visual interest and a sense of harmony.
I aim to recreate the feelings of altitude and exposure experienced on mountain walks that engender in me a sense of freedom and space. Craggy fractured rocks, waterfalls that tumble down valleys eroded away over centuries and soaring pinnacles inform the work.
Porcelain is my chosen medium - I’m attracted to it’s whiteness, smoothness and delicate translucency. The primary ingredient is china clay – one of the finest and whitest of all materials mined from the earth. Mixed with other natural raw materials it becomes a smooth plastic clay. When thrown it absorbs water easily and consequently can collapse easily but can be pulled and pinched to extreme thinness. Assurance and an economical touch are needed along with a good pinch of patience. Transformed in the kiln by air and fire, it becomes a durable and strong ceramic.
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The process of throwing is methodical and rhythmical - a well-practised sequence of movements as the clay slips through the hands. Much of the decoration is done at leather hard stage, applying gestural sweeps of thick gloopy slip, or wafer-thin slivers and edges or sculpting into the surfaces. Satin white glaze is applied to give a smooth waterproof finish with some special effects glazes such a white crawling and glossy glazes added for textural interest. Pots are fired to 1265 degrees to vitrify the porcelain making the pots waterproof.
The finished pieces are designed to be one off sculptural vessels that encapsulate something of the beauty and harmony of the wild places that inspired them.
EDGES, SHARDS AND LAYERS
