The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 50 no 1 April 2011

Focus: Ceram ics + Body
Kris Coad. Line up, translucent porcelain, wheel-formed and altered, h.6.5-3Ocm; photo: Terence Bogue
one day, I accidentally broke the neck of it. I cut it up to look at the thickness of the sides, then I put
one of the rings on my wrist and noticed how good it looked as a bracelet," (oad relates. "I made the
bangles and cuffs first. then the rings by request. They're similar, but I like to wear two together as the
pairing of the angles works well visually. They are actually very durable, but obviously will get damaged
if you drop them on a hard surface."
Each item in the range varies in thickness depending
on how it is cut, which (oad likens to growth rings on
a tree - the cool, opaque outer surface concealing an
inner circle of colour. "I like to put colour inside the
piece, so it is only seen when there is movement of the
body. The angular shape is quite architectural/sculptural
in form and I like the contrast between the glazed
throwing rings on the inside to the smooth, unglazed
surface on the outside."
The discreet placement of colour is expressive of
interiority, and acts as more of a private pleasure for the
wearer than a display for the observer; the uniqueness
of each piece is reinforced by the way in which it
silently communicates. " My interest is in the ability of a
symbol, mark, colour or shadow to trigger an emotive
response," she agrees.
Kris (oad. rings, 20 11 , translucent porcelain
coloured glazes, wheel-formed and altered
various sizes; photo: artIst
(oad's exhibition works also seek to enclose,
surround and invite the viewer to engage with them
in a very 'present' way. The recentJourney (2010)
continued her exploration of multiples. "The objects I
40 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS APRIL 2011