The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 48 No 3 November 2009

Profile
places. The surfaces of his vessels reflect an ongoing passion with the South Australian countryside
- dramatically expressed through bold graphic interpretation of the patterns and colours of the region .
This can be seen in his more recent works that have evolved from his memories of a childhood spent
exploring the Coorong, at the mouth of the once great Murray River, the patchwork fields of the
Fleurieu Peninsula and the forested valleys and ranges where he now lives in the Adelaide Hills. Anna
Grigson, director of Sabbia Gallery, says of Mincham's current work, "His imagery now extends beyond
a snapshot of the landscape, and focuses on the elements of nature, whilst exploring details in the
simplified arrangements of colour and form."
Recognised for his often monumental vessels, Mincham's forms reference the pure lines of the
Japanese aesthetic and are the perfect space for his multi-glaze and textural surface techniques. His
vessels are coil-built and rise from refined bases that often seem to float above the surface they are
standing on, belying the weight and impressive aspect of their size. Dry Lake, high walled bowl 2009, is
a classic example of the Japanese aesthetic that Mincham evokes in these large bowls. Acutely defined
sides rise from a pared down base that gives the illusion of a 'floating' bowl.
Watching Mincham build his large elliptica l forms, deftly rolling out the long coils by hand, and then
quickly merging each coil row upon row until the form has shape and height, one is taken in by the
physicality of the effort taken to build these masterpieces. He has refined this form to a point where
they are now slimmer and increasingly two-dimensional.
Mincham has used raku and mid-firing earthenware clays from Keane Ceramics for many years, only
changing in the early 2000s from the low-fire clay that he used for his raku-fired works to the mid-fire
clay Keane's Special K he now uses. After more than 17 years of raku firing, this dramatic shift to midfire
clays and techniques came at a time when he was questioning his further interest in the possibilities
of raku . He quickly found a new way to express the subtleties that he was looking for in his landscapes,
allowing experimentation with surface glazing and textural techniques.