Archive

The Shape of Longing 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slip cast paper-clay bowls with slip cast elements of nature (bones, feathers, seaweed, moss, insects, shells etc)
113 pieces
each 8 – 15 cm I 3 x 5 in

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Curiosity, delight and a pensive hush filled the gallery room while for many the desire to touch the pieces was substantial. In this piece, what appears to be lost is actually simply transitioned, and what is recognizable lays in perfect quietude held gently within the clearly delicate bowls, ranging from elegant to broken.

One paper-clay slip cast vessel containing a slip cast flower began an experiment to see if something organic and fragile could survive the thousand degree temperature of a kiln firing. The Shape of Longing became an ongoing project of discovery coupled with a formulated desire to record and save elements of my surroundings and recent experiences. To make precious the small intricacies and to ultimately draw an audience in to look closely, to consider, to question, and to be hyper aware of the fragility of what was before. Acting upon these thoughts turned my insular investigation into a exquisite shared experience.

 

The Voyagers 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxidermy pigeon, 280+ hand-built paper clay branches, discarded fishing net
260 x 108 x 58 cm  I  102 x 42.5 x 23 in

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Creating hundreds of paper clay, oxide stained branches that were then woven into the discarded fishing net extends the visual story beyond one of the pigeon from being simply in flight. To what end have these branches been collected? While they are symbolic of nature as a whole, they also represent the cycle of birds who gather materials with which to create a home.
There is a tension between the branches that are being carried away and those left trailing in a precarious position on the gallery floor. I am interested in an interactive narrative which mirrors life, the audience holding the potential for contrasting roles as the observer, caretaker and destroyer.
While the bird may signify the animal kingdom, the hand-built branches, ranging in colour from a dark charcoal grey to almost white, may represent the struggles of the natural environment on both land and sea -forest fires and coral bleaching.

Endangered 101 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endangered 101, 2016      In situ, Lamorva House      Falmouth, UK

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Endangered 101, third iteration, in situ at Back Lane West, Redruth, UK

Endangered 101, 2016      In situ, Back Lane West artist residency       Red Ruth, UK

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Endangered 101, 2016   In situ, Ranger Station Art Gallery  ‘Not Lost At Sea’ solo exhibition

 

Endangered 101, 2015
Raw, unfired clay, silver wire, fabric (one-hundred & one pieces)
Sizes variable

First iteration, in situ Lamorva House, Falmouth, UK
Secind iteration, in situ Back Lance West, Red Ruth, UK
Third interation, in situ Ranger Station Art Gallery, Harrison Hot Springs, Canada