About the Work

The Divergent Vase Series, 2021 visually demonstrates the haphazardness that is hand-building with clay and how it can reap unusual and unexpected outcomes. By exaggerating and obscuring certain constructive aspects, the vessels celebrate their impurities and yield an appearance that is both lively yet unsettling. Colour is used to play off this notion as two bright shades split the vessels in unequal sections, making any perfectionist wince.

The series is centred around the unpredictability of crafting with clay. Clay reflects the very actions it’s subjected to. When a form is diced, pushed, rolled, and prodded these gestures are imprinted into the vessel. Although these actions are intentional by the maker, the material may respond in unplanned ways.

This body of work was created in response to the new mundane due to the pandemic. A sense of unpredictability is inevitable when we are unable to plan ahead. We subsequently prepare for the short term and hope for the best. Crafting with clay is comparable to this state of being as many things are created by chance and the outcomes can sometimes be out of our control.