Email: d.ghawkes@hotmail.com    

Inspiration for the sculptural masked forms begins with the clay itself.  Hand building with clay is a juxtaposition of working with an ancient material in this present era of technology.  I am fascinated with the interplay of creating something that looks old but will have the modern language of internet script as an imprinted decoration on the outer surface, or the design of a turbo petholatus shell as markings that journey across oceans, back through the centuries to past cultures and places.

Contemporary raku contrasts traditional raku, a technique dating back to 1580 and Chojiro, a Japanese potter who made wares for the tea ceremony. Pots were placed into a hot kiln and then taken out in oxidised conditions. Today, red hot pots are reduced in bins of carbonising materials and then rapidly quench-cooled in water or open air. Glazes can be either subdued or hold lustrous colour.

 The transcendence of hand building with raw earth with the dynamics and spontaneity of fire, glaze, water, and air all provide the space for one-off pieces that can never be repeated.  Some pieces may need to be fired several times. When all elements are in balance, the kiln Goddess is smiling.

Reflection

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