Whyteware

Handmade Porcelain

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I make tableware because of the centrality of the domestic in life.

The modern ‘tea ceremony’ can be a political and social forum.

Cups and bowls are cast in porcelain, a highly fired translucent body that behaves like glass.
A range of cups is available; to suit different tastes and purposes.  Go to the ‘cup’ page for greater detail.
 They are made either as beakers without handles or with a comfortable handle, as a teacup or mug.
I paint the surfaces or use a clear glaze, producing work that is all white.
 Cups and bowls are made as sets that have a clear white exterior and are coloured inside; yellow, lilac, sea green, blue, grey and pink.

Placing ‘art’ on the functional surfaces of cups and bowls, blurs the boundaries between art and craft. It is a forum that can be part of daily routines.


Painted surfaces of my pieces allude to current events and contemporary debates.
The work is cast enabling exact multiples of the same form.
Working in multiples allows the form to become the pattern. Each work is unique or could form part of a group.

The minimalism of the ‘Whyteware’ emphasizes the form, pattern and relationship created by duplication. Surfaces often display phrases or fragments of text that refer to current issues and events.
The nature and complexity of the processes involved in producing a piece of porcelain affords me time for contemplation and to listen to A.B.C. radio.

References to contemporary debates placed in every day contexts emphasise the fact that nothing is unaffected by consumer capitalism and the accompanying environmental degradation.

The preciousness of porcelain challenges and critiques a throwaway consumer culture in which the disposable cup reigns. I pair recycled china or Bakelite with porcelain cups, to reinvent abandoned saucers, referencing the need for artists to consider the finite resources available to them.
The ubiquitous ‘Aussi’ Johnson saucers also trigger memories of our shared social and cultural history; the cuppa after church, the local hall kitchen, the fete.

At a time when using resources to make ‘art’ needs to be considered, the functional surface offers a podium.