Wisdom

My latest piece has been a long time in making.  The finishing of wisdom is, as one might expect, a slow process!  But in all seriousness, the qualities in this ancient moustachioed man really touches something about the nature of wisdom.

This piece explores the societal expectations that accompany traditions of knowledge and wisdom.

It presents the archetype of a single man, supporting his head with his dominant hand. The head and the mouth are hollow vessels, containing and expressing infinite knowledge. The moustache, in the form of a generous blue bow on an enlarged white glazed mouth, is a symbol of male societal traditions in beauty, age and rank.

The figure emerged through the ‘making first’ technique; taking a piece of clay and making without directing thought or expectation. Surface decoration is with contrasting slips and glazes and are fully developed at 1260°C. In particular, the gloss blue and white of the mouth and moustache speak to the large historical catalogue of blue and white ceramics.

A man made by a woman is a significant: it refers more widely to a movement towards healing and wholeness that is central to my practice.