What if, is a question we all ask ourselves sometimes. We could wish we had made other decisions, or we can be on the brink of taking a chance. What if….. is what I ask myself many times.

The studio table is full of pots/vessels again. There are 200 or so by estimation, on and under my big table. Some still to be fired and will be added to the group, that is if they all make it through the firing process. I do hope the clay will, in places, part/warp/break, as these objects are made with an intentional mix of clays, poorly constructed (according to the laws of ceramic ethics) to make a piece that is not perfect.

I have used clay that is factory made as well as locally sourced earth, processed to become a workable material, adding local vegetation. The more I do these, the more I am getting into the texture. I let the clay lead me, the knife cuts in lines that waver, but I do not want to use a ruler and measure, the wavy lines show more about the lives we lead, which, is what each of these vessels represents – a life, a person.

Some pieces are tall, some small, some fat and some thin. They have knobs on their necks, and they have gouges in their bellies. Each one is unique and has it’s own story. We all have our own stories but we often keep all the ‘pain’, ‘grief scars’ and ‘blemishes’ on the inside or just below our skin perhaps.

In ceramics, once the pot has been bisque fired, you usually apply a glaze. One reason for this is that the object then become more practical. It can be used by humans, it can be washed and reused. How that glaze looks depends on the pot maker. Some may be decorated with utmost care, some will get a quick dunk in a colour, or left plain.

These objects/pots/vessels/individuals are unglazed. Each one is exposing it’s existence; our life’s journey. We carry our individual experiences; some we show – many we don’t. Each vessel is single but unites as one artwork, reflecting on the links and ties we have within a community and the wider world.