About the Artist

An enduring passion for playing with clay remains the chief motivator and stimulus for my arts practice. I find the sheer physical nature of working through ceramic processes incredibly exhilarating and challenging.

Clay itself has such seductive characteristics in the soft, plastic stage, making it ideal for spontaneous mark marking and expressive sculptural forms. The thrill and anxiety of the fire, the variety and beauty of surface treatments and colourants are just a few of the aspects of this fabulous medium that keep me inspired.

The broad field of ceramic art offers me endless possibilities for creative expression in both my studio and teaching practice.

My studio practice revolves mainly around the creation of one-of-a-kind ceramic sculptures. I primarily employ hand-building methods without the use of moulds or repeat production techniques. It is important for me to maintain originality and a sense of vitality in each new work. By not using moulds I can be experimental and unrestricted in the making process which also helps to keep me motivated. I find that not having to meet a strictly predetermined end point allows for new ideas and techniques to naturally evolve.

Historically, ceramic art works have been exhibited in a wide variety of outdoor and indoor environments. The durable quality of fired ceramic, in particular weather resistant properties, allow ceramic ware to serve many practical as well as aesthetic functions.

Many of my pieces have been created especially for the outdoors or garden location. I find it very rewarding to see my art pieces become a part of an environment, especially as the aging process takes place. Placing a work in the outdoors also increases its exposure to a wider audience.

Some background

I am originally from the regional town of Albury in NSW. I spent many years travelling Australia and far flung regions of the world before settling down in Perth in the early 1990s. I loved Western Australia from the moment I hitchhiked over the Nullarbor on a working holiday in the late 1980’s. Perth’s amazingly beautiful beaches and coastal landscape along with its relaxed pace of life won me over from the first glance.

It was here that I undertook a BA in Visual Arts, at Edith Cowan University, majoring in ceramics, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Education.

I began exhibiting works while still at University supported by fellow art students and teachers. I maintain an exhibition profile while combining my practice with various teaching positions. Over the years I have taught Art in both primary and secondary schools. I have also taught Ceramics to tertiary Art Education students and conduct occasional private classes and workshops.

My home and studio are located in the beautiful coastal suburb of North Beach, just 15 kms north of the city and minutes away from spectacular swimming beaches, surf-breaks and limestone reef. This section of Perth’s coastline is a haven for snorkelling; surfing and energetic beach walks with my dog Buster. It also provides great access to two of my most recent pastimes; scuba diving and sailing.

Influences

The natural environment, coastal culture, and gender issues have emerged as principal themes and influences in my work. I tend to lean toward those aspects of life that I am most passionate about or have direct experience in.

The female figurative form has developed over the years as my main sculptural expression.

I am sometimes asked why I don’t “do blokes”. Put simply, the female condition is the one I know and understand best. Some of “my girls”, as I call them, are directly inspired by my local environment. They have evolved through my observation of the everyday actions and rituals engaged in by women who live and play by the sea.

Other works draw their inspiration from Art history. Representations of the female form, whether clothed or nude, 2-D or 3-D traditions, carries complex social, cultural and moral “baggage”. This historical context provides fertile ground for conceptual development in my work. It also provides me with a reference point from which to comment on and examine the contemporary female condition.

I prefer to present ideas in an ambiguous or slightly tongue-in-cheek style. Viewers and critics have on occasion described my work as humorous or whimsical. By employing these elements in my work I hope to engage the viewer on an emotional level and represent my ideas in a non-dogmatic manner. I am comfortable using humour in my work .It allows me to express a sense of fun and play throughout the creative process, from the concept stage through to the finished piece.

Techniques

The majority of my works are hand built, employing a combination of coil, slab and hand modelling techniques. Occasionally I throw sections on the wheel, usually for smaller figurative works, or extrude clay for particular appendages or limbs. I then add onto or alter these parts to achieve the desired form.

With larger works I tend to coil build from the base and work my way up, keeping the scale and proportion in check as the piece grows.

For works more than one metre tall, I cut into sections at the leather hard stage so that each piece fits the height of my kiln. The pieces are then reassembled post firing and provided with an internal support and weighted base if required.

I use a variety of surface treatments on my forms depending on the location the works are to be installed, and on the overall “look” I am trying to achieve.

Sometimes I merely rub a light oxide wash into the ceramic surface to highlight the texture and to create depth. Other times I use bright commercial underglazes and coloured slips in selected areas, with a clear matt or gloss finish.

Most of my works are fired to earthenware or mid-fire temperatures. I will occasionally use stoneware or porcelain if the function of the piece requires a higher fired ceramic body.

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