The Relief Face series takes a common theme from my two-dimensional work, the human face, and experiments incorporating it into clay. Fired in a wood kiln over 6 days the accumulating natural ash reacts with the lines and marks in the clay, adding a dynamic to the pieces that can only come through in the firing process. I use ceramics as an exploratory media, a comparative tool to challenge and further develop themes in my drawings. I borrow mainly from one ceramic characteristic; a requirement of efficient material use.

The physical properties of clay have a much clearer influence on the media than in drawing. Understanding the strengths of each media and how to use them efficiently benefits both. All potters know that good work is less about forcing the materials to the will of the artist than using the artist’s skill to show what the materials are capable of making. Some potters go as far as to say the clay wants to be made into a certain form. This strong relationship between efficiency and beauty is apparent to anyone who holds a well thrown pot. It has a balance and shape that just feels right in the hand. While a rendered image can create an illusion of an object without much conflict, ceramic media will not allow itself to be simply decorated over. Ceramics demands a disciplined balance between the clay body’s texture, form and thickness. As a painter I find this approach to material use gives me a richer understanding of each media.