After spending almost four years as artist-in-residence at Mrs Smith’s Cottage, I needed to step away from making work as a response to an external stimulus, and develop something that was more personal. The Tethered Quilts were experimentations in linking ceramics and textiles together and I wanted to find another way of making this connection.
Starting at first base, by looking at the literal building blocks of making a hand-stitched patchwork, gave me my inspiration. The ceramic cubes are individually constructed – very much a slow process – and provide an endless 3-D canvas for experimentation.
I make the cubes as individuals, but love to arrange them in drifts and groups. Made from natural materials, I feel that they make a respectful gesture back towards the land, but hint at the ways that human intervention leaves traces in archaeology and patterns in the landscape.
Although the cubes are small, still sculptures, their differing decorative facets demand handling for close attention. This handling reveals that contained within are ceramic pebbles that rattle, each making a different sound…
