Katie DENNIS'S WORKS
ARTIST STATEMENT
For me, the uniqueness of thrown clay is essential to ceramics. The conversion from soft moving material to a solid hard piece is fascinating and always bears an element of risk, no matter how developed the skill.
I throw large pieces hoping for balance and harmony in the form with ripped and slashed rims. Throwing is a way of drawing in space, in three dimensions with the clay. My movements, no matter how small and precise or big and exaggerated, are all significant to the piece.
For me, touch is at the core of the thrown vessel. It is a vital part of the communication between the viewer and the piece. The strong surfaces of both porcelain and black earthenware, the jagged rims which repel and the gentle smooth areas that encourage a stroke or ask for the work to be held.
The insides are a place for communication; the interior private world in the public space. Erosion, words and images on the surface of my vessels are a continuous thread through my work. They represent a mark being made, a voice being heard or a name remembered.
