The Colours of Black : New Work in the White Room

David Roberts - March 2016

I have just finished reading a brilliant book. It is written by a scientist called Mark Miodownik. The title is ‘Stuff Matters’ and is all about materials, their molecular structure, qualities, uses and associated processes. Although told from an analytical perspective it is witty and engaging – even a scientific dullard like myself enjoyed and understood it.

I mention this because as I read the book I became increasingly empathetic with the author. I am also fascinated and obsessed by materials and associated processes; in my case clay and its transformation by raku firing. However my approach is not scientific, it is intuitive and practical – judgment is equally important as analysis and measurement. It is a visceral, physical engagement – the soft, stickiness and malleability of clay – the smell of burning sawdust.

Materials and processes, as in all my work, are a major sub plot in this exhibition. They are active partners in the making, not merely neutral vehicles to realise political, social or intellectual statements. I am interested in the way material and process mutate and transform original concepts and ideas. Incident and chaos often suggest new ideas and paths to explore.

In this small show the specific materials of clay and slip and the process of coil building* combined with raku firing* are employed to illustrate the many colours I believe to be found in BLACK. I know, I know, black is not scientifically a colour but my eyes perceive black and indeed white as colours. I love it. Black is mysterious and deep. It surrounds, absorbs and draws you in. I suspect we all end up enveloped in black. As something of an epicurean I find comfort in this.

To focus both the viewers’ and my attention, I have deliberately restricted the ceramics in this exhibition to a series of open bowl forms. Similarly, using an incredibly restricted palette of simple materials and one simple firing process, I hope to enliven and articulate these bowls in different and equally convincing ways.

To achieve this I am exploiting the way black or white painted slip* patterns can represent, delineate and echo different water movements and patterns – waves, ripples, eddies etc. Some vessels also exploit eroded relief patterns to achieve the same ends.

Most importantly these markings are supported by subtly different ‘coloured’ black backgrounds which are the result of individual textural and reflective surface treatments applied to each vessel. These are achieved by the selection of one or more of the following techniques; texturing the clay whilst wet, applying very shiny and reflective slips, the erosion of dry clay and grinding and refining the fired clay with abrasive pads. These subtly different ‘coloured’ black backgrounds serve to concentrate, intensify and highlight the lighter, decorative linear patterns.

This exhibition, expressing my fascination with, and love of BLACK also acts as a gentle riposte to the white porcelain boys and girls.

PUBLICATION: The Colours of Black : New Work in the White Room

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