Simon, Maria

These works are, in one sense, very much about landscape.They are a deep exploration of form, light and shadow, rhythm and movement, energy in the natural world and in human experience.They are meant not so much as visual renderings of a scene, but more to evoke a sense of place.The images are often single rock; the way sand cradles a stone which rests in the trail where the water has receded to the sea; the way flower petals emerge from a deep space and wrap seamlessly to the outside.It is clear to me that what I choose to notice in the outer landscape is a direct reflection of a deeper inner landscape.It matters not which is “inner” or “outer”.They are the same.These images are meditations.

All pieces are built from either terra cotta, in the case of wall tiles, or a low fire white earthenware.Most pieces begin with a slab, to which coils have been added.They are then hand carved on an easel with spot lighting, so that I am working with light and shadow from the get-go.Most pieces are partically burnished, then allowed to dry slowly.After initial bisque firing, they are painted with successive thin layers of terra sigillata (finely milled and decanted clay “slip”), burnished, and fired to cone 04-earthenware temperature.Wall tiles are set into recessed, shadow-box-type hardwood frames.Finally, all pieces are rubbed with wax to retain their lustre.