A change is a foot...

Last night I went out for a beer last night with my old friend Dan Moran who studied ceramics at Camberwell and although he is now training to be an accountant, I believe will end up being a ceramic man again. In fact I wish he was now. We had quite an enlightening conversation about the direction of my art work. Dan is of the opinion that its time to move on from the vessels I have been making onto creating more delicate, intricate and non-functional pieces. I have been having thoughts in this direction for quite some time. I have bought a bag of porcelain, some books on porcelain ceramics, on women in art, and the history of studio ceramics. I am looking for inspiration, stocking up on ideas. I just wish I had the time to invest in making change happen. A few hours a week in the studio means that my work develops at a snail's pace which is profoundly frustrating

I have been following the work of ceramic artist Conor Wilson for a few years now, I find his work highly inspirational, fresh, and more importantly it is Art...not 'just' pots. As much as I respect Bernard Leach and the role he has played in the formation of studio ceramics I feel that he has also indirectly played a role in the slow acceptance of ceramics as a medium in art. Generally people are unaware of the intellectual thought and the role of spirituality in the creation of these pieces, and the fact that the works of Leach and Hamada are fully appreciated as art in Japan and Korea. I know that I wasn't fully aware until recently. This lack of knowledge coupled with the fact that leach style pots have become so commonplace due to their successes that they have lost some of that original charm which they had when they were first produced. This means that people often see these pieces as just brown pots. To fully appreciate the work it was necessary for me to read extensively about the Leach tradition.

Having read in detail, I sometimes feel guilty for creating work that is not in line with Zen tradition, and not god forbid...not functional! And then I see the work of someone like Conor Wilson, and my confidence begins to grow. The time of change for me is very near. Hopefully my MA will push me over the edge, I think the main thing I need is confidence....


'Lemon Squeezer' (1998-2001) above is one of the first pieces a saw by Wilson....again the body as an influence. Apparently this piece was inspired by a dream he had about having sex with himself!!


'Hermit' (1999). Again an enormous phallus.

'Triple Necked Vessel' 2008, work in progress, with what looks like a little fanny on the front.

'Triple Necked Vessel' 2008, the completed article. It is worth checking out his web site http://www.conwilson.com/ He writes really well, and in great depth about his thoughts on the development of his work. It is an interesting insight into the mind of what I believe is a very important ceramic artist.