I make sculptural pieces based on the geometry of natural forms by combining regular pattern with the characteristics of fractal forms from nature. The finished forms are a result of an intuitive response to the direction that the pattern takes as well as the irregularity in the handmade elements of the pattern.

“…….the purpose of a thing. Aristotle assumes this to be the equivalent to the logos…and the logos is always the beginning point for things arising from nature….the logos of a thing is the inherent design that it carries within itself. Things carry within themselves a narrative of their purpose, for logos at this time meant something like ‘a reasoned tale’, whether they arise from nature or whether, as for a work of architecture, they arise from culture. Aristotle’s studies on nature noted that nature was a progression rather than a static form and that each progression contained a history of its beginning as well as progress from a primitive to a more perfect form”

Stephen Frith – Architectural Theorist. Ph.D. University of Cambridge.

Professor of Architecture, University of Cambridge.

Artist Statement:

I make sculptural pieces from unglazed porcelain clay. My hope is that my work communicates a sense of energy, life and dynamism through a combination of the use of abstracted pattern and geometry from natural forms.

My starting points are detailed drawings of plants, shells and seeds. In order that the form of the finished work is consistent with the qualities of the source material, I use a set of constraints based on a combination of regular and irregular geometric principles which are found in nature. I am interested in the history of the use of the geometry of natural forms in European art – in particular classical Greek art and architecture. I use these principles of Classical geometry when making decisions about the proportions of my work, and combine them with fractal or irregular geometry by using the principles of fractal geometry in the creation of the pattern. The form of the individual pattern is repeated in the outcome of the overall work – the “inherent design carried within itself”, so that each outcome is unique even if the starting point is similar. Each sculptural piece carries, within itself, its own narrative from the time during which it was made.

My work is made by hand, as a result of which each element of the form  is unique and imperfect. I find the narratives suggested by imperfections and irregularities within patterns fascinating, and the imperfections are allowed to exist in the finished pieces – they are immediately apparent when my work is scrutinised closely. I hope that my work illustrates a number of my beliefs – the beauty of the collective, created by the acceptance of individual imperfections and the transient beauty found in nature.