Thomas Green
Sydney Grammar School
THE CONSTANT POUR OF BEREAVEMENT
Ceramics
White Raku clay
In my body of work I explored the internalised emotions associated with bereavement. My innate and deep desire to come to terms with the death of my father (in 2008 when I was 5 years old) inspired my investigation of this concept. Each teapot, through form, surface texture, colour and relative scale, represents a single or a combination of emotions and feelings experienced in grieving, such as anguish, devastation, frustration, guilt, loss of innocence, collision between parental nurturing and the brutal reality of death.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Judi Tavill, Simone Fraser, Kate Malone, Tatiana Gvozdetskaya.
Marker's Commentary
This body of work plays with the iconic ceramic form of the teapot and its social role at the centre of shared personal experiences. The work poignantly manipulates the essential form of a teapot, which has been exaggerated expressively across the series to suggest different stages and responses to loss and grief. Conceptually, the functionality of a teapot as a vessel or container is referenced to create metaphors for loss, emptiness and pain. Each piece in the series confidently and skilfully uses different ceramic construction techniques with a fine clay body appropriate to the different concepts. Forms and colour application using dry glazes are managed thoughtfully in controlled and refined ways.