Reflection- Semester Three
As we’re drawing to a close in Semester Three, I’ve come to the realisation a full year has passed on the Ceramic MA course. I’m not sure where the year has gone, but what I can say is that I’ve definitely made the most of my year here on the course. Just looking through my portfolio, I can see how much I’ve really developed. Prior to the course, I didn’t have an ongoing practice in ceramics, in fact, I’d barely picked up a ball of clay in over 5 years. My Fine Art degree exposed me to the potential of clay. I found it fascinating how I could create anything, fire it, and it would become a solid object. Since then, I took time out of the ‘art world’ and focused on building foundations within ‘the real world’…
Fair to say, that didn’t last long and I ended up going travelling for 3 years in Australia and parts of Asia & New Zealand. THIS is where I realised I needed to re-kindle my love for clay and ceramics. Luckily enough, this MA course is based in my hometown so ever since then it’s been a whirlwind of development, exploration and getting back into making.
Semester One & Two was largely about getting to grips with the nature of ceramics, finding some loose thoughts of inspiration and developing my making ability. Semester Three has very much been an experimental phase. Having developed a key understanding of ceramics in the previous semesters, I felt I could really crack down at exploring the areas that interest me and drive my work forward.
Currently, I situate my practice in the sculptural realm. I explore fragments of nature, land and human trace as I feel inspired and fuelled by how we navigate the landscape around us. I find it particularly fascinating how human presence is tracked through the fragments we leave behind in landscape. From a piece of construction tape, to a number written in sharpie pen on a road sign or a single nail hammered into an old fence. Our connection to landscape isn’t only an organic & energetic one, it’s a tactile and physical one.
Through my sculptural forms, I want to investigate that push & pull connection we face in landscape, between us humans and nature. I explore this in a visual way by applying fragments of colour, mono-printed text or inclusions within the clay. However, it’s important this is paired with the organic and natural characteristics within landscape. My sculptures aim to sit in a limbo between the natural and processed, finding that perfect fine line between the two.
Moving into the 2nd Year, I aim to piece together all these fragments of knowledge and skill sets I’ve been developing upon. I want to find a visual identity within my practice. This could be through the repetition of similar forms, a statement and recognisable colour palette or a cohesive body of work that creates a dialogue. I’m excited to carry on exploring ideas, refining and moving forward. I’d like to explore new clays and develop a glaze range that works with my sculptural forms. I’d also like to to increase the scale of my work and explore varying sized pieces. I know how much I’ve developed in the last year so I’m looking forward to seeing where this next year takes me.
