Pivotal – 2016

I stand outside my studio watching the light interact with the air, with the earth and with the life in between. I watch as the day advances and the light changes in hue and intensity, altering the depth and power of the landscape.

It is during the pivotal moment between day and night, night and day, that all the majesty and grandeur of our world becomes heightened, more vivid, more present. This kairos moment, a supreme moment, the pivotal point in the daily cycle that comes and goes, endlessly repeating and yet never the same, this is what I strive to capture.


Luminous Landscapes – 2015

A new exhibition for the Nancy Sever Gallery, curated by Peter Haynes to coincide with “Stepping Up“, the 14th Australian Ceramics Triennale held in Canberra ACT, July 2015.

The lustre pieces in this exhibition show a new evolution of the form. They display a new element of adaptability, allowing them to find and follow the light that they crave. Like the landscape that these works evoke, the lustre needs light to flourish.


 

Atmospheric Light – 2015

A new exhibition further exploring the atmospheric qualities of lustre glazes. Some 30 years ago I remember experimenting with various forms of lustre – pigment lustres, resin lustres and lustre glazes. Three decades on and I realise that lustre is not something you control, it’s something you encourage and entice into being. The complexity of the process is yet another connection to the complex atmospheric systems that produce the stunning and unique natural light shows that have inspired me for years.

30 years ago also marks the beginning of my friendship with Victor Mace and my first show at his gallery in Brisbane. And so, this show results from 30 years of passionate exploration of the ceramic world and a 30 year long friendship.


Reflections – 2014

My rural NSW environment has long been the major reference for my work. Fleeting moments of beauty and the play of light in sunrise and sunset, through mist, rain, clouds, dust and heat, are the inspirations for the creation of my ceramic art; the lustre glazes reference this evocative light.


 

Afterglow – 2014

In the country where I live I see many images within the landscape each day. There is a vast horizon to observe sunrise and sunset, light through mist, rain, clouds, dust and heat, and the moment as the sun goes down, an after glow that, for just a moment, changes the land and sky. Walking from home to the studio and back again, has the feeling of being enveloped in sky. It is first and last light that I am drawn to. The bright yellow gold of morning at first light. The warmth of evening light mixed with pink and blue grey. All this, combined with the vast variety of clouds that can be seen on any day, means an amazing moment to be remembered. 


40 Years in the Making – 2014

During one of my very early exhibitions in the late 70′s I was told by Ken Hood, then Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, that the artist should always have the best collection of their work. I took this piece of advice to heart and now, forty years on, I have an overwhelmingly large collection of my own work slowly gathering dust and taking up valuable space that could be used to make even more work. So it is now time for some of the pieces to come out of the dark and either be exhibited once again, or in the case of many, for the first time.


Luminous – 2013

The last and first light of the day, light through cloud, light behind cloud, light defused by rain and storm. The moment just after sunset when the land glows for an instant. These are the moments I look for and it’s the nature of lustre that captures them. Surfaces change in tone, colour and intensity due to light playing on the glaze surface and the angle of the viewer. All contribute to making the luminous, illusionary surface that envelopes the work.

 


Angles of Light – 2010

Light and lustre have a synergy that creates colour and movement. The angle of the light striking the lustre surface will change colour, intensity as you move around the work. Full natural light spectrum will be different to an artificial light and the in brightness of light all will effect the colour and tone of the lustre glazed surface.