Ceramics is something that really found me. I went to university with grand plans of becoming a graphic designer, and came out covered in clay. Ceramics has a tendency to sneak in and take over every aspect of one’s life to the point where you see the world and everything in it as potential inspiration for a ceramic object.

Just before leaving Sydney, I completed my final year project of a Bachelor of Design at the College of Fine Arts. The final pieces where called Light as the animism - the Spirit that exists within all natural things. The objects were thinly slipcast Southern Ice porcelain which gave the translucency I needed to show the light (the spirit) that exists within all natural things. Spherical forms with spikes were used as symbolic of many different natural forms. Clay was added in plastic form to the slipcast pieces as well as a combination of techniques such as piercing and resists to create the intricate details which came to life through the use of halogen lighting. By illuminating nature, its most intimate secrets are revealed. My work aims to bring the beauty of nature to the attention of the viewer by combining natural impressions, textures and forms to create objects that are not a direct copy of any one existing form, yet are strongly identifiable as natural. The idea of merging different aspects of nature was used to show the interconnectedness of all natural things as well as to evoke different reactions to my work from the viewer. Two people may see the work as different things depending on their experiences with nature. Nature is the source of inspiration for all of my work; I believe that it is impossible to remain free from the influence of nature because our existence is inextricably linked to it.

The ideas formulated throughout this project became my way of seeing the world while I had a year off, traveling around Australia. I spent much of my time (in between visiting many ceramics studios) collecting and photographing everything I could find. This was a very important time for me as it is part of the way in which I work. I like to immerse myself within a topic so that the work I produce is an impression of my reaction to an experience rather than a planned creation from a direct visual stimulus. It is like working from a memory of an experience that will become affected over time and is therefore continually changing and transforming into something new.

I have ended my journey for the time being in Perth where I have just finished the final component of my degree. The Professional Experience Program is a program that consists of three months working fulltime with a practitioner in my chosen field. I have been working with Angela Mellor whose expertise in translucent bone china has really helped me to realise my ideas into ceramic form. Angela’s paperslip technique has been invaluable in relating textures from nature into my work and has provided me with endless possibilities. Whilst working with Angela I have spent a lot of time experimenting and basically getting out a year’s worth of ideas. This is the second step in my way of working that is working quite intuitively, working from my memories along with quick sketches of ideas. I think this step is also very important, as you don’t become lost in trying to push detailed planned out designs onto the clay. For me working in this way leads to many discoveries, which may not have been found otherwise.

Working with Angela has helped a lot in the final phase of my work, which is refining forms and re-evaluating the way in which my inspiration has been interpreted into my work. While my PEP has officially ended I am continuing to work with Angela as we are both enjoying the influences of each other’s work.

My exhibition pieces Naiads were small forms inspired by coral, algae and brightly coloured fungi. They stemmed from the experimentation with new techniques learnt during the PEP as well as through a discovery of pond lights that allowed the pieces to be displayed underwater. Most of my new work is slipcast and/or handbuilt with a variety of different surface treatments to enhance texture and translucency. I love this method of working as it articulates what I am trying to portray conceptually. The slipcasting process echoes the ideas of rhythm, order and mechanics within nature while the individuality of each piece is retained by the hand treatment of each piece.

I am also starting to introduce coloured stains both on the surface and in the slip, which produce interesting effects once the objects are lit. I am extremely interested in the use of light, and plan to develop my work as light installation pieces. I see light as the connecting factor in my work, it is the essence of each piece, which animates and gives it life. By highlighting nature’s intricacies I hope to illustrate the importance of nature, making the things that many see as irrelevant or that go unnoticed become admired and contemplated, challenging the ways that people choose to view nature.