Strathnairn Arts Exhibition Award 2009

Vicki Passlow

Artist Statement

My work is an exploration of the sinuous line. I am fascinated by the way that one element captures landscape, nature and the essence of movement. I work in ceramics,using porcelain for its ability to reflect soft organic shapes, to express a sense of movement or flow in a solid material; and for its colour response. My vessel forms are organic: wheel-thrown and altered, or altered and assembled. Pieces are polished rather than glazed. This creates a very tactile surface, much like polished river stones.

My work is strongly influenced by the natural environment, both in form and colouring. The lines of coastal rock formations, the shapes of kelp tangled on the shoreline, for me reflect movement and flow, and are mirrored in the making process.My work is informed as well by the everyday landscape of domestic objects that surround me: jugs, bowls, and even the folds of my well-worn studio boots.

Colour is an integral aspect of my work. The metal salts I use are like watercolour paints. They lend themselves to soft-edged, subtle variations, like light dappled through water. Overlain washes of greens and browns, soft or strident, reflect the landscape of hills, forest and beaches that surrounds my present home. The salts themselves replicate natural patterning. Small-scale crystal formations echo the mottling of mosses, or rust on metal.

ANU School of Art & Design Graduation Exhibition Catalogue 2009