Why I do it

This work of mine is a reflection of the environment around me and a development of the archetypal form of the vessel. I’ve made utilitarian work for 12 years and have considered many variations on the idea of the container, with an emphasis on use. The impact of living in a city and the influence of a constantly changing constructed environment combined with the inevitable destructive part of the building cycle have also contributed to the work.
Each piece is a pared back reflection of the vessel and acts as a focus for ideas around containing, exclusion, interior and exterior. The surface of each piece has been manipulated to reference ideas of buildings, architectural features and the inexorable decay of those same features.
Technical notes
Each piece is made from a composite ceramic material consisting of china clay, ball clay, nepheline syenite, grog and sawdust. Made using moulds into the vessel form they are allowed to dry before various resists are applied and the piece forcefully eroded with high-pressure air and water. After bisque firing the pieces are again altered by brushes or grinders before a white slip applied and a final stoneware firing. The black pieces had a further staining process applied.