Still Life

This piece 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. As with all my work, it is hand built solid. 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. I often work in small series, developing ideas between pieces as in a dialogue. Mark making then connects these series, as do the spaces between them.
The heavily grogged clay body is coloured when wet using small percentages of coloured body stains and then fired over several days in an electric kiln to 1285c. These 3 pieces are sold as a set (not as separate pieces).