Drought

Artist: | Medium: Porcelain | Size: 45 x 18 x 31 cm | Date completed: 2010

Artist Statement

My concept for “Drought” began as a reflection upon a time of personal emotional drought that aligned with the physical and environmental drought in Australia.

Here, an introduced species to Australia (a sheep) becomes part of a human. It raises the question “who is dependant on who?” or “who is the consumer?”

The figure has no arms, representing the inability to do anything about the situation.

My works are human/animal forms that invesigate the human condition and our impact on the environment.  I reference extinct, endangered and introduced species to reflect upon personal concepts relating to identity and home.

Porcelain is valued for its translucent qualities and the ability to create smoothe and elegant forms. Here the pure white of the clay symbolizes innocence and my hand is still visible upon the torso i.e. my finger prints remain as part of the modeling process. To me this is a way to leave my mark/my identity upon and within the form (which after all is partly autobiographical). I have also contained the size of these works to reference ‘mantelpiece porcelain’ or ‘the good china’ that I grew up with in suburban Melbourne i.e. if a work was prized or deemed of value it ended up on the mantelpiece.