2024 Emerging Contemporaries Exhibition Catalogue

Jacqui Keogh
ARTIST STATEMENT
This series of 5 ceramic vases entitled 'Dark
Wave' features wheel thrown and hand
decorated black mid-fired clay. The vessels are
an exploration of making two part pieces and
are informed by traditional shapes. The surface
designs are the result of ongoing
experimentation with surface patterning using
found implements. The waves reference the
traditional Japanese wave motif or Seigaiha and
express part of my identity associated with
living for many years beside the ocean and
almost daily time atop it, paddling ocean surf
skis and surfboat rowing.
The wave pattern flows effortlessly, changing
direction and size as does the ocean's surface.
The gold elements in my series were initially an
instinctive reaction to many suggestions that
my artist initials were too dominant. I decided
to 'lean into' the reaction and 'go for gold'. Over
time my block signature has evolved and is a
bold statement about unapologetically claiming
space. The gold spots are just pretty and who
doesn't like a 'bit of bling'?
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Jacqui Keogh Ceramicist, Member Canberra
Potters Society and Craft and Design ACT.
Jacqui Keogh is a ceramic artist working from
her home studio in Narrabundah, ACT. She has
been practicing ceramics for four years and
creates unique wheel-thrown and hand
embellished everyday functional forms. In a
world of the mass-produced, she celebrates the
‘hand made’ and ‘slow’ in her products. Each
piece is individually and lovingly crafted,
intentionally retaining throwing lines, remnant
drips and splashes incurred during glazing or
firing and not perfect finishes. Much of her
work is hand embellished or decorated and no
batch is ever quite the same.
An affinity with the natural environment is
reflected in her making. Her choices of clays,
surface decoration and glazes are inspired by the
beautiful hues of the river mouth, beach and
ocean at Pambula Beach where she lived for
many years. She recycles all her clay and fires
with an electric kiln for sustainability and
practicality. Using the electric kiln has been a
catalyst for exploring distinctive decorating
styles, surfaces and glazes that can be created in
a mid-fire environment. As a result the works
‘give back’ something of herself and are imbued
with a captivating aesthetic.