Pottery In Australia Vol 39 No 4 December 2000

Right:
'Membranes of a Rezzo
Fresco 2' detail.
h12crn
For me, the unique idiosyncratic nature of glaze can be
richly tactile and visually satisfying; it has the potential to
provoke associations, memory and metaphor.
As cultural anifact the ceramic bowl links us to other
times and places and provides a unique insight into the
nature of the human spirit and civilization.
In my work, the bowl is explored in the context of still
life. The forms are wheel-thrown, altered and slowly
scraped to develop a soft line and solidity. I use coloured
matt glazes, layered and fused to the porcelain body
through the multiple firings to give expression and
luminosity to the surface.
The gentle colour, poise and monumental serenity of
the religiOUS frescoes of the Italian Renaissance painter
Piero della Francesca confirm a sense of beauty for me.
The clarity and mood achieved through the effect of
colours perfectly matched to form and space gives the
work a timeless and idyllic atmosphere.
I am inspired by the soft light and isolated, bald rolling
hills near Ballarat where I live and the big domed skies
of Maryborough in central Victoria where I grew up.
I like the way bowls contain space and can allude to a
meditative infinity.
Neville French works, teaches and lives in Ballarat, Victoria. His
works are represemed in public collections.
1203 Wimer Slree" Buninyong Viaoria 3357.
Photography by Terence Bogue
30 POTIERY IN A USTRAlJA + 39/4 DECEMBER 2000