The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 50 No 2 July 2011

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3 Kirk. WInter
4 GYllYn Hanssen Pigott
The second issue was the lack of humour and its close relation, sex appeal. With one or two
exceptions, most of the work seemed to be taking itself extremely seriously. Peter Thompson's crazily
esoteric Nipponese/Murri coastal deities (a piece which I renamed in my mind The Hunt for Moby
Dick in a Red October) and Kirk Winter's Empress' New Phone were perhaps the only pieces that
attempted irony. As far as sex appeal is concerned, very few of the pieces had that visceral effect of
'I must have this work'. Unfortunately, one of the Australian wood-firing ceramic artists capable of
generating that effect by the exquisite integration of form and surface was not represented.
The third issue was the lack of real variety. Sure there were lots of statements about chance, but
the overall palette was predictable and within a fairly limited range. It was surprising that some of the
more flamboyant aspects of wood-firing were under represented. Grey to tan, with the occasional
green, seemed to be the prevalent palette. Likewise, the forms were on the whole conservative, more
akin to classical architecture than out of the box Gehry. I think this is more about finessing and refining
than strong visual challenge. The few attempts at breaking out, such as Neil Hoffman's piece, were
simply too constrained. The real problem with the finessing approach is the tendency towards sterility.
The retirement village aesthetic - serene, contemplative and static - is exemplified in the timeless
mantelpiece vessels of Gwyn Hanssen Pigott. Others are following suit.
So, if you had to name your top five pieces what would they be?
THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS JULY 2011 73