Squash

My work is about the clay; its pliable, immediate qualities. Like a photograph capturing a ‘frozen moment’ this material when fired fixes forever a gesture, an impression. This piece, as with all my work, is hand built solid and the marks are created by impressing found objects, their origins occasionally hinted at. I cut, squeeze, pinch and hit the clay body to achieve the desired form, working instinctively and in the moment.
The form alludes to the built environment but deliberately avoids explicit references. In pushing the material to its limits my wish is to explore three dimensional shapes and movement while retaining a real sense of the qualities of clay. How the light interacts with a piece is an important factor in the presentation of the work. Although my work has no prescribed narrative, there is a meditative quality.
The heavily grogged clay body is coloured when wet using black body stain with black iron oxide and then fired over several days in an electric kiln to 1285c.