The places where the geological underbelly of the land interface with the soil and the sea are where I find my inspiration. In Caithness I find it along the rocky shoreline, whereas in the mountains it is where the crags protrude from the thin soil.
I am fascinated by the structures within sedimentary layers of rock, which are a result of the interweaving of the organic and the inorganic over the millenia.
Fascinating also is the variance of physical scales, and the time frames that are within the landscape. I find appreciating these gives me a different view on the thrust and flow of the land, the sea, the atmosphere and how they relate to one another.
My contemplations of nature are about transformations. There are strong parallel between rock formation and the ceramics process in terms of a journey from one state to another, and I feel the unpredictable journey of the sculpture through the firing is a crusial element of my work. I tend to use organic material as inclusions in the clay, which then become transformed into a labyrinthine matrix by the bisque firing. This can then be cut and shaped before being fired again with soda and wood.
northshorepottery 