PROJECT 2024
THE SHADOW OF THE TRUTH
What is the most important thing in the world? The most important thing IS the world.
What are we without it?
Clearly
What are we without it?
Clearly
The work in 2024 continues to draw on aspects of truth: and the first question to consider is, does truth even exist? It does not as a pure concept. There is only what I believe in, what the majority of my known peers believe in and what we are told to believe in by those who declare themselves in the know. My truth is what is evident to me given my skill set, my upbringing, my education, my lived experience. But of course I don't trust that to be the truth, I consider it to be simply my opinion of what the truth should look like at a particular moment, tainted anyway by influences. I might therefore change my mind without warning at any moment.
The pots above are representative of three avenues of enquiry. They were made alongside each other to speak with different voices about three different situations that preoccupied me, all under pressure in different ways and for which I felt I could find no definitive answer. The4y are much like people: they are solid containers, they are made of clay, they stand up, they demonstrate imperfections in their creation and they bear the marks of what happened along the journey to completion. They deserve to exist in the world they belong to: the built environment, the wild natural environment and the field of battle, which encompasses both and adds darkness.
These pots here below are examples of what different aspects of what is true might look like. Included the half visible containers above, alchemic materials that will completely change the narrative on the pot's surface if applied and fired.
I don't want to be mysterious. I want to be provocative. If we were to say that these pots are about the people of a certain village in a far away place, each representing an aspect of reality, I would say that, from right to left, they speak of a mother preoccupied with her child, her orchard, her safety; enchanted by the nearby river, terrorised by the possibility of harm. Follows a pair of twins each gyrating around the other, or a couple making space for each other, or similar but opposing ideas facing up to each other and hoping to negotiate an outcome. Then there is a bit of pomp palatial ornamentation, perhaps the Village Hall has a noble room, where the great and the good write their opinion in stone scrolls. and illuminate the action with their powerful will, which must be obeyed. After that, perhaps a missionary zeal for climate justice, the beauty of the river and the power of vegetative life, and finally, a rhythmic, organised reality where everything has its place and no doubt is permitted, the world of pretty lace and ranged flowerbeds.
What is the unity in this collection? It is in the imperfection of all those commitments, desires, visions and plannings. But beyond that there is still too much space between individuals in this small village. In such a village, we must have some who believe in radical action, others who are more accepting of uncertainty; there are some who fabricate propaganda to further their aims and others who consume the stories they hear; some want security, others want change.
What is the truth in al this? Whose point of view will we accept? Can I make a pot that enables everyone who looks at it to know what the question is? And can I leave enough space for each person to find a good way to answer that question? Should everyone obey pot number 4? Should everyone help No. 1? Or admire the neat No. 6? Are we ready for democracy? Are we able to stop making exceptions and using the word unprecedented to accommodate the will of the more powerful?
My work is intended to be confrontational, which is not the same as being rude or predicating a truth, my truth. Indeed, I challenge myself as well as the viewer, I present hypotheses and try to unify them, not rank them in order of importance. The point of all this is to build an idea of what justice might look like if all reasonable aspiration were considered equitably.
The International Convention of Human Rights came to be written, largely by British people, because it was needed, not as a list of what was already happening. I do not wish to speak. of good people and bad people. I want to recognise that good people disagree on what is important and what is right and what is good. And I want to bring in the point of view of all those who are normally left out of the discussion: the powerless, the innovators, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised.
The pots above are representative of three avenues of enquiry. They were made alongside each other to speak with different voices about three different situations that preoccupied me, all under pressure in different ways and for which I felt I could find no definitive answer. The4y are much like people: they are solid containers, they are made of clay, they stand up, they demonstrate imperfections in their creation and they bear the marks of what happened along the journey to completion. They deserve to exist in the world they belong to: the built environment, the wild natural environment and the field of battle, which encompasses both and adds darkness.
These pots here below are examples of what different aspects of what is true might look like. Included the half visible containers above, alchemic materials that will completely change the narrative on the pot's surface if applied and fired.
I don't want to be mysterious. I want to be provocative. If we were to say that these pots are about the people of a certain village in a far away place, each representing an aspect of reality, I would say that, from right to left, they speak of a mother preoccupied with her child, her orchard, her safety; enchanted by the nearby river, terrorised by the possibility of harm. Follows a pair of twins each gyrating around the other, or a couple making space for each other, or similar but opposing ideas facing up to each other and hoping to negotiate an outcome. Then there is a bit of pomp palatial ornamentation, perhaps the Village Hall has a noble room, where the great and the good write their opinion in stone scrolls. and illuminate the action with their powerful will, which must be obeyed. After that, perhaps a missionary zeal for climate justice, the beauty of the river and the power of vegetative life, and finally, a rhythmic, organised reality where everything has its place and no doubt is permitted, the world of pretty lace and ranged flowerbeds.
What is the unity in this collection? It is in the imperfection of all those commitments, desires, visions and plannings. But beyond that there is still too much space between individuals in this small village. In such a village, we must have some who believe in radical action, others who are more accepting of uncertainty; there are some who fabricate propaganda to further their aims and others who consume the stories they hear; some want security, others want change.
What is the truth in al this? Whose point of view will we accept? Can I make a pot that enables everyone who looks at it to know what the question is? And can I leave enough space for each person to find a good way to answer that question? Should everyone obey pot number 4? Should everyone help No. 1? Or admire the neat No. 6? Are we ready for democracy? Are we able to stop making exceptions and using the word unprecedented to accommodate the will of the more powerful?
My work is intended to be confrontational, which is not the same as being rude or predicating a truth, my truth. Indeed, I challenge myself as well as the viewer, I present hypotheses and try to unify them, not rank them in order of importance. The point of all this is to build an idea of what justice might look like if all reasonable aspiration were considered equitably.
The International Convention of Human Rights came to be written, largely by British people, because it was needed, not as a list of what was already happening. I do not wish to speak. of good people and bad people. I want to recognise that good people disagree on what is important and what is right and what is good. And I want to bring in the point of view of all those who are normally left out of the discussion: the powerless, the innovators, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised.
Lined up and patiently waiting for resolution, the first sketches of a story. I refer to the truth. Not tHat I know what it is, or am particularly looking for it. But rather the dance of human beings around it, the turning of lights on and off looking into the red herring rather than the Blue Whale!... it is not an accusation of mendacity against anyone I am after. It is the recognition of the very human characteristic that impels us to tell our story from a personal viewpoint; The work that comes out of my hands includes pain and sorrow of those who suffer at the hands of others who callously, indifferently, messianically pursue their own truth; it includes the shadow cast by the glare of unvarnished truths; it includes the idea that we are all echo chambers seeking to fill the void with supporting narratives.
2023 - A YEAR OF SEARCH AND DISCOVERY
April 2023 - La Meridiana School of Ceramics
images of a course in animal sculpting with Andreas Hinder
2023: The Carolingian Era
Yes here we are. A new king on the throne of the UK.
My pots are supposed to be a reflection on what it all means. I’m not sure I have yet decided or learnt much nor am I sure to be handing over amazing insights. They are there - here below - and I will add to this as I go. Have a look!
My pots are supposed to be a reflection on what it all means. I’m not sure I have yet decided or learnt much nor am I sure to be handing over amazing insights. They are there - here below - and I will add to this as I go. Have a look!
Clay lies still, but blood's a rover;
Breath's a ware that will not keep
Up, lad: when the journey's over
There'll be time enough to sleep
(A.E. Housman)
CROWN POTS
"They're Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace"
Having a new king after such a long reign seemed to call for a moment of thought.
What does the Crown mean in the 21st Century?
How do you understand the part it plays in the life os ordinary people?
How do the crowned heads, the anointed of God, differentiate themselves from elected leaders?
Do they lead? How do they view themselves, these heirs to old tradition?
Are they free to choose? Are they free to speak, decide, command, withstand...?
What would it be like to be able to choose not to be king; or to be king for life but not inflict this predicament on your progeny?
I offer a small collection of pots into which I tried to imprint and embody some of these questions
"They're Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace"
Having a new king after such a long reign seemed to call for a moment of thought.
What does the Crown mean in the 21st Century?
How do you understand the part it plays in the life os ordinary people?
How do the crowned heads, the anointed of God, differentiate themselves from elected leaders?
Do they lead? How do they view themselves, these heirs to old tradition?
Are they free to choose? Are they free to speak, decide, command, withstand...?
What would it be like to be able to choose not to be king; or to be king for life but not inflict this predicament on your progeny?
I offer a small collection of pots into which I tried to imprint and embody some of these questions
George Bernard Shaw:
"Our prejudices are so deeply rooted that we do't think of them a prejudices, but as common sense". So what of the Monarchy? What of the Crown? What of the anointing and blessing? What of the jewels and mansions? What of the sadness and errors? What of human beings living as statues of plaster? What of that great lost Empire? |
Derbyshire Open Arts - 28th and 29th May 2022
This year will be a watershed in this event. All of us artists and makers have come back from an uncertain time during the pandemic not knowing how we could go forward but here we are, not back to normal but inhabiting the new normal and completely prepared for a face to face event with bells on: optimistic, focused and confident. I am relishing the prospect of meeting people and socialising. Showing my work, hearing feedback and open to new inspiration.
Three Contemporary Chinese Artists
China in this work symbolises all those societies, households, contexts, where freedom of expression is disallowed. The temptation to enslave the minds of others is strong when their points of view disagree without own opinions and interests. The work also reflects concerns about the pandemic character of conspiracy theories, confused and befuddled populations acting against their own interests in democracies undermined and bedevilled by pernicious distortions due to misinformation, manipulation and biased propaganda. These three Chinese artists I highlight are chosen also for their bravery, acting against a powerful and ruthless regime - or so the headlines would have it... but who knows...
Qiu Zhijie was born in 1969 in Fujian Province. He is a contemporary Chinese artist who works primarily in video and photography. Overall, Qiu's work suggests the struggle between the forces of destiny and self-assertion. Other common themes are social fragmentation and transience. Qiu was born in 1969 in Fujian province. In 1992, he graduated from the printmaking department at Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou. He now lives and works in Beijing.
The artist's break-through exhibition was in 1992 with China's New Art, Post-1989 at the Hanart Gallery and Hong Kong Arts Centre. By 1999, his work began receiving overseas interest with his inclusion in Revolutionary Capitals: Beijing-London at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. In 2007 he had his first solo exhibition in the United States at the New York gallery Chambers Fine Art. In 2005, his work was exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Between Past And Future: New Photography And Video From China, including Tattoo 1, which explores Qiu's assertion that in our media-saturated age, "signs and codes have overpowered actual human beings, and our bodies have become merely their vehicles." The character bu — meaning "no" — is written across the artist's body and on the wall behind him, creating the illusion that it floats free of the body. (Wikipedia) |
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Gu Wenda is best known for his extraordinary installations comprising human bodily substances – powdered placenta, blood and hair. Born in Shanghai, Gu studied at the Shanghai School of Arts and Crafts and then the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou. The artist’s early training in traditional Chinese painting laid the foundation for his provocative later work. This often involves the manipulation of Chinese calligraphy using the extraordinary range of media that his practice has come to be associated with.
Immediately after completing his studies in the 1980s, Gu began the first of a series of projects centered on the invention of meaningless, false Chinese ideograms, depicted as if they were truly old and traditional. His practice consists of installations at sites around the world; and involves the use of human hair to create walls and screens upon which the artist uses additional hair to form both comprehensible and nonsensical characters, letters and scripts. Using hair from over four million people, the work draws attention to the tenuous nature of cultural divisions, and presents a utopian possibility of humanity united. The work also presents a manipulation of language and exploration and re-interpretation of Chinese traditional modes of expression, seen in other works by the artist such as Forest of Stone Steles – Retranslation & Rewriting Tang Poetry, in which the artist has manipulated, juxtaposed and layered translations and re-translations of poetry from the Tang Dynasty. Gu lives and woks in New York. Wu was born in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province. His art is Conceptual in nature, often dealing with issues surrounding language.His work includes painting, drawing, installation, photography and performance. Wu Shanzhuan graduated from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou (now the China Academy of Art) in 1986. He moved to Europe in the late 1980s, and obtained a master's degree from the College of Fine Arts at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (Hochschule für Bildende Künste, 1989). He lived in Germany and Iceland for over ten years, and returned to China in 2005.
As one of the leaders of the Chinese Conceptual Movement in the 1980s, Wu Shanzhuan was the first Chinese artist to assimilate textual pop references into his work. Wu's pivotal installation, Red Humour International (1986), laid the foundation for his "highly idiosyncratic and sophisticated approach to painting, which forgoes image in favour of political jingoism, religious scripture, and advertising slogans". Known for his experimental works with language and the use of big character posters, Wu is a kind of precursor to the better known works of Gu Wenda and Xu Bing. Wu was part of the red humor group, who toyed with language and meaning. His works are filled with satire, language tricks, symbols and radical games. He has posed nude in his art works for a while with his wife, Inga Svala Thorsdottir. "His work is filled with absurd imagery and fantastical language. |
Bearing in mind my own concerns with political subversion by the State in modern democratic countries, I envisaged three works addressing respectively Freedom of expression, freedom and integrity of thought and propaganda, all pushing society towards proliferating conspiracy theories, mythologising of social structure, simplifications and stereotyping in terms of race, gender and political leadership.
From Humble beginnings, the Portuguese fishing boat became in the 15th century, the means for the Portuguese to advance along the African coast. Those boats fitted with the lateen sail were fleet and could sail with the wind. They started carrying slaves early in the 1440's to man the sugar plantations in Madeira and went on to ply the Atlantic to Brazil's coffee fields. Other `Europeans nations followed suit much later. The Venerated figure of Infante D. Henrique of Portugal, son of Philippa of Lancaster, expressed pious gratitude for the opportunity to transform those poor lost souls into good Christians... the early rationalisation for slavery as a force for good. My ships have been finding their way into these disgraceful stories from the past of my people.
From the shock of the Iraq war, came a piece that describes the perverse fate of young idealistic, heroic young men, mere teenagers in many cases, who feel called to fight for their country when in fact they are fighting to further the interests of big business and political reputations and inflated egos of our rulers. Tony Blair and George W, the oil business and war manufacturing stood firm against the UN and the voices of peace. Many dead, many disabled and many mentally impaired brave personnel later, here we are: some counting the cost, some counting their vast fortune.
Another major episode in national life brought to the surface, once again, the very best and the very worst of human nature: The COVID-19 pandemic. Heros of self sacrifice shoulder to shoulder with the greatest artisans of deceit and reed that this nation and the world has to offer. Two pieces represent my response:
Another major episode in national life brought to the surface, once again, the very best and the very worst of human nature: The COVID-19 pandemic. Heros of self sacrifice shoulder to shoulder with the greatest artisans of deceit and reed that this nation and the world has to offer. Two pieces represent my response:
2022. Sheffield Ceramics Festival Arrived.
2022. WHEN WILL IT COME?
WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS?
WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS?
Pinch bowls and pots: Theme, ROWNTREE PARK
CRUZADER
An homage to the Portuguese ships that braved the unknown and perilous seas to confront human curiosity and desire to know.
This Chapel on The Sea will gain its colourful coat soon. But in case something happens to this fragile test, here it is in innocent nakedness.
THE GARDEN OF DREAMS
NO YOU WILL NOT
THE VIRUS UNINFORMED
Return to the World
The end of 2018 saw a curtain descend on my ceramics. The journey was tough and it became shrouded in mysterious fog the the pandemic struck. Loss on loss; Until nothing was known. Now we leave that behind and take up another branch of this road headed in a completely different direction. No more needs to be said.
'Fired'
Tuesday 6th November - Sunday 18th November 2018
Exhibition of Work from Members of the South East
Group of the Northern Potters Association
With
Claire Allam, Olinda Everett, Brian Holland, Suzan Kemp, Kit Anderson, Bev Seth, Sur Morton, Deborah Frith, Kathryn Watson, Ann Robbins, Penny Withers
YOU ARE INVITED!
There will be an opportunity on Saturday 10th November to meet some of the potters at Gallery 6 from 12 - 4 when drinks and nibbles will be served. This will give you an opportunity to discuss the techniques used tp crate their work.
'Fired'
Tuesday 6th November - Sunday 18th November 2018
Exhibition of Work from Members of the South East
Group of the Northern Potters Association
With
Claire Allam, Olinda Everett, Brian Holland, Suzan Kemp, Kit Anderson, Bev Seth, Sur Morton, Deborah Frith, Kathryn Watson, Ann Robbins, Penny Withers
YOU ARE INVITED!
There will be an opportunity on Saturday 10th November to meet some of the potters at Gallery 6 from 12 - 4 when drinks and nibbles will be served. This will give you an opportunity to discuss the techniques used tp crate their work.
THE OLD FORGE, WIRKSWORTH
A shared exhibition of local artists including my work at this old listed building, including textiles, ceramics, acrylic sculpture, paintings and prints. This exhibition includes other fringe events over the next two months.
A shared exhibition of local artists including my work at this old listed building, including textiles, ceramics, acrylic sculpture, paintings and prints. This exhibition includes other fringe events over the next two months.
RED TAPE EVOLVING
An exhibition at the Haarlem Mill in Wirksworth during the Festival weekend in September 2018 celebrating the heritage of the weaving industry. 8 artists participated in a shared installation illustrating the long tradition of narrow textiles in the town. Also included were a community project as well as poetry readings and a display by the Wirksworth Word Miners.
An exhibition at the Haarlem Mill in Wirksworth during the Festival weekend in September 2018 celebrating the heritage of the weaving industry. 8 artists participated in a shared installation illustrating the long tradition of narrow textiles in the town. Also included were a community project as well as poetry readings and a display by the Wirksworth Word Miners.
ART IN THE GARDENS at Sheffield Botanical Gardens on September 2nd. NPA Southeast had a marvellous marquee full of wonderful expansive ceramics and a great group of 10 potters. Gorgeous weather helped to give us a great day and we were awarded a place among the 10 best displays in the festival. Thank you all who helped set up and plan, led and organised by Bev Seth and Kathy Watson.
...and in the end...
So, It has been almost a year since I was able to edit this site. Time to catch up!
The work continued to be around the sea, shipping, wreckage and loss. The pantomime horse is still waiting to be kissed into a more significant result.
The shipping flourished and came to a halt with a dug out with cargo. Other plans have taken over since, but the pull of the sea is still there.
Equally important has been the continued effort to improve my command of the medium and I have now given up the idea of specialising in one particular kind of clay, one particular way to fire and plan. I am just not interested in making objects and ideas need a little more freedom...
Politically Charged Times - Summer 2017
Where a Trojan horse was intended, maybe a pantomime horse? and where a rescue was intended, maybe jeopardy at sea instead.
Water Stories: All at sea in 2017
I have done some work on glazes that could suggest water. The blues and greens have behaved in surprising ways and have filled the first half of 2017
The Great Sardine Installation and Performance Outcome - October 22nd
September 24th 2016: Sheffield Ceramics Festival in Meersbrook Park.
September 20th. The volcanic glaze is too undefined by itself. I suspect I need to retire and add more layers in order to get the effect I want from it. But this is a good colour response to start with and a good break at the edges of the waves.
SHIPPING.
July, 5
Meersbrook Park in September.
I am looking forward to making a new collection of pieces for Meersbrook. This is not a place for serious politics: a walled garden undergoing a transformation from a training space into a community area. Full of plants and full of volunteer effort. A space getting used to the annual invasion of potters and their groupies. Sheffield itself knows what it feels like to be forged, reinvented, in the white hot heat of artistic inspiration as it fends off industrial decline.
I plan a walled garden of my own, complete with nodding flower heads, teapots that dance and lean against decrepit greenhouses, glazes and slips that respond to dappled shade and stolen light.
Shadows of War
the young man who carries his church and his family's honour to the battlefield comes back with a tally of killing and terror. And also the signs of attrition, of brotherhood taken to the limit.
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i think of the 'Crushed Warrior' - As a continuation of previous ruminations about what happens to the young soldiers who go to war "to serve their country" and come back maimed and embittered. It has happened all over the world since antiquity. And it still goes on.
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armour has always had a close connection with manliness. Even those leaders who do not face bullets or swords would wear elaborate armour as a badge of valour - real or imagined.
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Emporium Art Gallery in Lichfield have received me back after a long absence.
The above Crushed Warrior was shortlisted for the Lichfield Art Prize, 2016, on the theme "Shadow".
The winner, announced on 24th June was Anthony Birchwood, RSA, with an oil painting entitled "Vapour".
There were to highly commended works: DMK (Shona Davies, Dave Monaghan and Jo Klein) with a mixed media and animated film noir piece entitled "Hair in the Gate" and Susan Davies with a charcoal drawing entitled "The Fishermen"
Congratulations to all.
The making itself is an adventure of constant striving. When I step back from my work, I can see where I have been, I recognise the difficulty I experienced, I remember where I encountered the challenges. The marks of making and the stages of development are all over the piece but instead of compromising the integrity of the form, these marks show the progression and become, to my mind, part of the statement, fully as much as the colour or the carving, or the shape. I often admire other people's pots that are so flawless and so confident. But that is also their message: I am confident and I am able. They are sound in their craft, they take care and they pursue flawlessness. I admire good craftsmanship and have greater difficulty in attaining it than in realising creative ideas. I honour imperfection when I deploy it for a reason, not when the medium gets the better of me!
Genesis Water Pot
Will my work survive the fire? The trouble with big work is the big investment. Nothing is ever certain.
The Japanese Red Crested Crane is an endangered species of bird found in the bogs and water meadows of South East Asia, Japan and China. It is a symbol of longevity and immortality, for it is long lived; it is a symbol of fidelity, for it mates for life; it is a symbol of world peace. The Crane is nevertheless, despite being honoured and revered and endowed with so many meanings, an endangered species.
Tsuru at the Waterfall: persimmon vase, stoneware 22cmx14cm
Tsuru at the Waterfall: persimmon vase, stoneware 22cmx14cm