Barbara Campbell-Allen
Artist Statement
My post-graduate studies began an exploration into a contemporary interpretation of the extraordinary naturally generated glaze effects found only in traditional wood-firing techniques.
My current work continues this exploration of this subtle world of long wood-fired ceramics. I use paper-clay, a blend of paper fibre and clay, which enables the making of light highly sculpted work, and I find the combination of this material with wood-firing produces work with unique form, texture and depth of surface.
My work is often closely related to natural landforms as aesthetic environments, which form a source of stimulation and inspiration.
April 2006
Review by Marilyn Walters
Wood-firing methods tend to lend themselves to the aesthetic of imperfection in which the fired work proudly testifies to its origins in earth and fire, and triumphs in its endurance So, to, these pieces seem to delight in the beauty of imperfection. There is an honesty, simplicity and naturalness in these works,…
(The) rough surfaces and irregular structures reflect the essence of landscape, bringing the natural world into the cultural compound of the gallery and the living room.
Ceramic Art and Perception No. 50, 2002, p. 96-97
Vase
2005
135 x 85 x 85 mm
Long wood-fired stoneware with firebox natural ash glaze.
"This vase was fired on the floor of my anagama firebox, adjacent to floor flues. It was covered in ember for most of the firing, but especially during the cooling. The sugary surface with the turquoise, greens, purples and yellows develop slowly as the ember slowly burns away. These results happen only in a very small zone at the rear of the firebox, and do not occur each firing."
Vase
2005
170 x 115 x 115 mm
Long wood-fired stoneware with firebox natural ash glaze.
2005
340 x 440 x 120 mm
Long wood-fired stoneware with natural ash glaze.
This landscape plate, formed from stretched and textured clay, was fired upside down to capture flame marks. The inspiration for this series comes from the landscape of the Great Dividing range, especially the Blue and Snowy Mountains.
| |
