MA SHOWS

Artist Statement

I am a ceramics-based artist exploring story, jeopardy, fairytale and the transition from childhood. My work is rooted in the stories I write.

These stories have the flavour of the surreal, which allows me to experience an encounter with wonder. My ceramic pieces are assemblages that channel this sense of wonder. I experiment with ceramic techniques and processes that will achieve this. I incorporate found objects into my work.

In story-writing, I often use the idea of the hedge as the stage where enchantment happens. This is in some way key to the unfolding drama and often appears as a motif in my ceramics. For this I select twigs from local, native hedgerows. I use the same process of careful selection when gathering words for my stories.

Through my exploration of the role of girls in fairytale, I am drawn to the true story of girls' lives. Within my ceramics I have tried to convey, through iconography, the jeopardy facing girls and their strength to face this as they transition from child to young woman.