I create poetic ceramic sculptures composed of contrasting abstract forms. My work is inspired by visceral experiences of sites and rituals which form the outward expression of emotion, places where people congregate to leave offerings or messages. Intrigued by this human tendency to connect outwards in times of need, I investigate the otherness of emotions through making.
My work explores the human experience in relation to our emotions and the constructs we have evolved to manage them. This theme was born of a trip to Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall. Here I was fascinated by the thousands of personal notes and prayers being left at this historic site. It left a lasting impression on me and inspires my concepts of cathartic rituals and our need for connections with bigger energies than ourselves.
Our emotions have powerful vibrations that can shape our daily lives and affect how we respond to things yet we cannot see or touch them. This concept has led me to explore what forms our emotions might take. What colour is fear? What shape is anxiety? My work is a personal reflection of some of our most complex internal experiences for which we often seek external guidance to manage. My sculptures capture a moment after cathartic release, referencing perhaps a place or ritual, and the emotion involved.
I work in porcelain and stoneware clays with a variety of processes, each with it’s own rhythm and nuance which I unite into the final piece. Contrasts in texture and form are vital. Matte, ruffled sheets of porcelain paper clay are rolled and cut, built up gradually and encouraged to ripple in the firing. Small movements becoming exaggerated, amplified. Once captured, they nestle next to or are softly placed onto the stone-like forms, plinths reminiscent of rock, anchoring the piece in space. The combination of these earthly elements is punctuated by a lustrous tear drop or a glossy amorphous form, something comforting or perhaps unsettling, drawing attention.
My sculptures offer a focal point for connecting with memories, personal stories and emotions, establishing private moments of contemplation.
