My work primarily begins from wheel-thrown forms. I enjoy the energy this gives to clay and through a wide variety of altering techniques and the combining of forms, I work to create pieces which have three dimensional interest, gesture & animation and present a situation for interpretation by the viewer.
My work has grown to embrace the vessel through my previous involvement and understanding of more traditional functional pottery forms. I maintain a desire to make the work “functional”, yet the definition of function has evolved to embrace the utilitarian as well as the intellectual or conceptual aspects of the term.
I often start with an idea, but give free rein to process. I have found that this allows for the idea to be taken in different directions or to open up new explorations. The forms are generated from the wheel with the purpose of maintaining energy and motion. It is important to utilize the memory of clay and its ability to demonstrate mass and volume. The act of throwing is one where the body of the vessel grows from the hands and wheel with a lack of self-consciousness – it is a natural action at some level. Conscious assessments and alterations are added later – after the basic shapes have been thrown. What is important at some point is to allow for chance occurrence to come into the work. I also want to add the unexpected element if appropriate to the piece.
I try to use the way a material works to get what I want from it. In working with clay, you control it while forming it or glazing, but you must also understand to give up control to get further. Clay can appear deceptively simple in the end result – this can add to the complexity of a piece. When constructing these pieces, I an interested in observing how the parts work together, the spaces in between or the background – even how they might work in various arrangements. This leads to the consideration of relating internal reality (such as our place in the universe, personality, place in time, reactions to situations, struggles, etc.) to external reality (such as touch, visual, taste and audio).
Currently, I have sought to take full advantage of process in clay to explore altering and mark making in the surface of freshly thrown cylinders. The challenge is to re-define utilitarian and functional forms – what will make us want to bring well-crafted objects of interest into our lives and how we might choose to live with these objects.