Storied Vessels

About a year ago, I left urban life behind and relocated to Tasmania. It was a difficult transition, and I resented the move. But over the past year, the landscape has quietly revealed itself and begun to permeate my sensibilities. At first, I thought The Huon Valley was a harsh, unforgiving place—dark and lifeless—but as I slowed down and opened up, I began to see and feel its rhythm and form. What once felt like valleys that overwhelmed and imprisoned me now protect me within their soft curves. They fold and curve around me like a human embrace.
Inspired by Marea Gazzard and her sensitivity to contour and curvature, the works I present are reflective iterations of the world above and below Taloone, also known as the Huon River. The hand-built clay forms translate and celebrate the subtle curvature of the valley as evening light rakes across the powerful limbs of adjacent peaks: Wild Bee, Ford Pinnacle, Rimon Hill, and Denison Ridge. The curvature and texture of this landscape informed my decision to use Buff Raku Clay—gritty and resilient—like the people who occupy the valley.
The glazes and smoky oxides reflect patterns found on nearby gum trees and the Gadopsis marmoratus (black fish). Without realising it, these markings have permeated their way into my consciousness and into these vessels.
I consistently find that my art practice is interconnected with the natural environment, and in this folio of work, I simply must express a story of mindful meditation on place. Taloone: Knowing we are an inescapable part of this landscape, we are custodians, and that if we stop, quietly listen to its voice, we too may become a part of the storied vessel.