CENTRE FOR MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
STUDIO CERAMICS AND ORIGINAL ARTWORK

"My work is wheel thrown and turned with high precision. I love the symmetry of the wheel and the ability it gives me to control shape and form. I use a very fine clay with no added grog. After turning I burnish the clay surface until the surface is completely smooth.

The shapes I love to make most are round, like the traditional clay containers made in the rural parts of Africa. The forms are smooth and flowing, because it appeals to me and also because it facilitates the process of burnishing.

I use a various low-firing techniques. The random effects of smoke on the burnished clay surface softens the precise shapes of my pots. The excitement and unpredictability of these type of firings satisfies my sense of the unexpected. It also relates to my African roots.

I like to emphasise the qualities of the shapes: small bases, narrow necks, wide, round bellies and flared rims. In juxtaposition to each other this gives my work a contemporary feel.

My pots are bisque-fired in an electric kiln and then saggar-fired using a gas-fired raku kiln. At present I use salt, sawdust and copper in different combinations in the saggar. During the firing it leaves the random marks and colours on the slightly porous clay. A specific outcome cannot be predicted or expected. After the firing the pieces are cleaned and polished to a light sheen. This protects and enhances the work.
My work is mostly concerned with form and surface. I had to make choices between functionality and the effects that I wanted to achieve in my work. Because of the lower firing temperature required the work is not functional in a utilitarian sense.

I have also developed a range of beaded chokers to be worn as statement jewellery pieces. This has opened up a new perpective on my work and will be explored further