"Cuerda Seca" Sand and Sea Forms
At University the subject of my dissertation questioned how glazes function together with their social and historical development.
Some of my glaze research was led by objects which I identified with and resonated with my own core characteristic; I investigated the types of glazes that could have been used on objects and developed my own processes and interpret the object.
I have admired the work of Marianne de Trey for many years, she lived in the Devon town of Totnes, very near to where I was brought up.
The surface applications of this table lamp strongly resonated with me and I was also intrigued by the process that could create such a rich and symbolic surface decoration.
Cuerda Seca was developed to keep the coloured glazes separate, the water-soluble glazes are kept separate from each other on the ceramic surface by lines of a waxy substance preventing them from running out of their delineated areas.
Although I do not use the process in the same manner it inspired and informed me to develop my own technique and glaze application.
I have investigated the beautiful work of Bryan Newman, I particularly identify with his aesthetic and his thrown forms . He applied glazes in multiple layers with oxide washes and wax resist leaving unglazed areas showing the clay body acknowledging truth to materials and imparting a rural sensibility and energy inhabiting a functional existence of natural and rustic pragmatism.
Inspiration for this body of work is taken from several influences: the works of Marianne de Trey and Bryan Newman; the progressive period of the 1960’s and 70’s; and the coastal regions of Devon and Cornwall .
My investigations have led me to a rewarding aesthetic which speaks of waves in motion through gestural application, reminiscent of abstract expressionism. The truth to materials imparts the geology and landscapes such as beach giving the sentiment of sea and sand. The functional forms all have a post war sensibility about them.
