Beneath the Surface

There are many things that can inspire ceramics forms: nature, history, architecture, emotion. I view clay as a living organism and the pots I form from it are alive, animated, anthropomorphic. Visually, this can range from being very subtle to profoundly obvious. I see the bottoms of pots not as bottoms, but as feet. Spouts and handles are limbs and tails. Pots have posture and character that enhance their utility.

Wood firing is the firing process that I find most engaging. It is both labour and time intensive, taking anywhere from 1-6 days of vigilant work to complete one firing. It is supported by a unique and wide ranging discourse which focusses on themes as the anonymity the craftsperson and the beauty of non-intellectual, repetitive work. The results can range from a quiet, natural subtlety to a rugged, robust earthiness of crusty texture and fiery color. Although it the oldest tradition of firing techniques, wood firing has recently enjoyed a resurgence in contemporary ceramics. The manipulation of flame and air have proven to be too much of an allure to many studio potters. Many of the results have been over the top extremes of surface such as the ones seen in the abstract expressionist ceramics of the 1950s. Not surprisingly, because of it's labour intensiveness, it has also been an predominantly male dominated process. Over the last 6 years it has been my firing technique of choice.

The portion of the body of work that I have presented in the last section of slides have been produced with this technique. These pieces were produced while living at an artist residency in Denmark. I worked with a highly respected Norwegian woman potter and teacher to build a small scale version of a fast firing wood kiln. The results of these firings contain all of the language and elements of traditional wood firings, such as flashing in the clay body, carbon trapping and melted wood ash. The work that I produced was designed to embrace these effects of the process, however I worked in a non production style of creating single or small grouping of pieces. The individualistic forms were made by throwing specific forms on the wheel, altering them and attaching the pieces together in a construction type format. Some parts of the vessels were slip cast, with molds and then assembled to the wheel thrown pieces. I wanted the surfaces of the pieces to be decorative, but also subtle, allowing the effects of the flame enhance them. I innovated several vitreous slips using cobalt and titanium to produce the shiny blue and light yellow colors. The glazes were developed to be vitrified to allow for full utility of the pieces, while also capturing the carbon trapping and ash melting effects of the wood firing process. I brought these pieces back to Vancouver to exhibit at the Gallery of BC Ceramics. The results of this innovative kiln design stand out as unique and contemporary.

Complicated themes are sometimes best communicated through comfortable objects like pots. Vessels contain and convey ideas and values about nature, ego, spirit and civilization that can be read on gut levels. I use the language of pots to communicate these ideas to others. I use utilitarian pots in my daily life and hear the intimate echo of these ideas