Shift, 2023

Solo Exhibition, Canfas Gallery, Cardigan.

Shift brought together a selection of drawings and three-dimensional works curated through colour, highlighting different surfaces, techniques and influences. A collector since childhood, I assemble household and scientific objects—gifted, found in antique shops, or discovered at car boot sales—and transform, repurpose and re-stage them into ceramic sculptures using bone china casting slip and porcelain paper clay.

Nature remains an important influence, particularly the forms and colours encountered on daily woodland walks. I am also drawn to fashion photography, where seemingly understated images often reveal darker, more unsettling undercurrents on closer inspection. I aim to evoke a similar sense of curiosity and ambiguity through my own ceramic work.

Studying Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, reinforced the importance of composition, display and the relationships between objects. Colour often becomes the thread that connects a body of work, alongside unexpected combinations of form and surface. Working intuitively with a restrained yet distinctive palette, I carefully control colour throughout the firing process, allowing subtle shifts in tone to enhance or soften each piece.

Shift reflects my ongoing interest in display, colour and the curation of objects, bringing together influences that continue to shape my practice.

Photos: Adrian Davies Photography