Conclusion of project at Dundee

The Craft Bursary Project at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art is now finished. It's been a rewarding five months, and a unique opportunity to develop a new project. It will no doubt continue to have a positive effect on my work. The next few months will be spent using the experimental pieces, drawings and photos to create a resolved body of work back in my own studio. Source material will be added to as appropriate.
The project has served to highlight how influential such a residency or placement can be for creative development, with the time for thinking, reflecting, drawing and writing just as valuable as making itself.




Some of my previous work based on research into tourism will be exhibited at The Collins Gallery, Glasgow in 'Unite'. 16th April - 7th May.  www.collinsgallery.strath.ac.uk

'This Was On The Way To...' Jug, h. 20cm

Finished pieces

Work in progress. These pieces will inform a larger group of work to be created after the residency. Each is approx 21cm wide.

Project update

Test pieces are evolving. The images are of flat box-like pieces, unfired, with silhouettes cut out and layers of coloured slips and screenprinting. These will still be 'work in progress' objects; developed from the initial test pieces as a way of bringing together composition and form. They will potentially be wall mounted. These kind of 'work in progress' pieces are an important stage for me in arriving at finished work. The text is taken from 'On Growth and Form' by D'Arcy Thompson, the creator of the Zoology Museum at the University of Dundee. Most of the source material I've been putting together is from the museum - a fantastic collection of specimens. It not only offers a survey of natural history and the evolution of animal species but also a snapshot of how animals were viewed, collected, preserved and used for study. http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/zoology/

I am putting together some writing that will (hopefully soon!) be developed into an article with more discussion of the artwork once further developed. Essentially however, the work will be an exploration of animal representation within formal collections, drawing on themes such as authenticity.

Project update

Only a few weeks to go on the Craft Bursary project...time has moved quickly! More resolved pieces are underway utilising all the previous experiments and tests. Images and info to follow...
New website is under development ready for launch soon, and potential articles relating to the project are underway.
I will have an article in Ceramic Review in the next issue -248 http://www.ceramicreview.com/ relating to my previous research project (MPhil).

Test pieces

At the end of the autumn term, pieces in progress were concluded and finished ready for firing in January. At this stage various test pieces have been completed (examples above), with accompanying drawings and written notes. These tests are focused on exploring composition mainly; layers of imagery built up at different stages.  The process of decision making is often complex, and bringing together all the different elements of form, image, colour, text etc. Much of this project is about allowing creative decision making to evolve organically, encouraging compositional development through the addition of each layer; form, then colour, then print, before the glaze and photographic decal. It raises questions about what constitutes ‘finished’ work…when are pieces ‘resolved’? How much of the composition should be pre-planned?

The pieces are likely to be wall mounted; 3D tests completed so far could potentially be wallmounted, or plinth based. Importantly though they are a move away from the vessel and are potentially going to be fairly 2 dimensional.

Work in progress/test tiles

Some images of test pieces made during the residency...

Craft Bursary project

Since the end of September I have been working on a new project at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee, after receiving the Craft Bursary Award along with two other craftspeople- Gilly Langton and Louise Kirby. This project offers the exciting opportunity to have access to facilities, equipment and the college staff, and is in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council (Creative Scotland). Workspace is provided; mine is based in the sculpture department.

For me the project is an opportunity to re-evaluate and redefine my practice, explore drawing, printing and other processes, and develop a new body of ceramic work. After over 15 years of making ceramics it is essential to 'take stock', evaluate, offer myself some challenges and think about what direction I could go in. It is about implementing change, experimenting with ideas and processes, and build upon what I learned during my research degree (MPhil) completed earlier this year. Alongside this I am working on some written work, which will assist in the ongoing development of the project and potentially lead into something to be submitted for publication.

So to date; it has been a creative, exciting and focused couple of months. I made the concious effort to move away from tourism as source material (temporarily anyway!) which was the focus of my research for the last four years. My new project investigates the theme of collecting; specifically the portrayal of animals in formal collections.

more to follow...