 
CERAMICS
Tina's work is deceptively simple, as if she had mastered the secret of gently persuading the near-impossible to balance. Her graceful and enigmatic vessels adopt somewhat unlikely postures and unusual angles, as if flirting with expected boundaries. They seem to arc and bend effortlessly in a manner which belies the complexity of their construction.
Tina habitually uses terra cotta or stoneware, to which she often adds oxides; rich earthy reds contrast with the subtle, cool shades of blue, off-white, lavender and egg-shell. Each work is hand built, an intensive process which can take up to a week for each pot. Sometimes she starts her pieces by press moulding (usually a bowl shape), followed by coiling and/or soft-slabbing. The extensions are supported by sponges as they dry, and to prevent cracking, the artist scores the surface and applies a vinegar slip between each addition. Tina works on several pieces at a time, exploring different aspects of expression and form as each creation develops its own unique trajectory.
The journey to completion is lengthy; the pieces are scraped with a combination of Surform blades and metal kidneys, smoothed with wooden ribs, burnished with a metal spoon, and finally polished with a piece of polyethylene around her finger. "I can construct them really quickly, within a day, but then it takes about 12 hours to burnish the large pieces and that's a lot of elbow-grease!", she explains, "I have to be really careful when I'm burnishing not to put too much pressure on the drying clay and crack it." Though her approach is rigorous, Tina is unsentimental about the limitations of the medium, conceding, "A lot of things can go wrong along the way, an impurity in the clay can ruin the surface and only shows up once the pot has been fired."
In recent years Tina has explored the idea of twinned pieces, paired shapes with either interrelating edges or complementary elements. She aims to create a dialogue both between the parts, and in the relationship of the work within the space.
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Spiral bowl
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©
CAVALIERO FINN 2009 |
