'Settling in'
16th February - 6th March
COCA Gallery, Christchurch

This work is about the process by which acculteration takes place and in particular the early attempts at adaptation by European settlers in New Zealand.

Many transported all the trappings of British Civilisation into a strange land and the resulting incongruities at first must have bewildered and amused Tangata Whenua. It is this brief moment in New Zealand history, the beginning of widespread contact between Maori and Pakeha that acted as a springboard of this particular investigation.

My work is continuously evolving through the perfecting of ideas/techniques and experimentation. My focus at the present is the conveying of ideas through pictorial scenes on a clay surface. The imagery lends itself to old etchings. The clay can be worked into relief to add textural patterns. For me clay is the best of both worlds, I can relate ideas via pictorial scenes but also carve the clay and have a 3 dimensional quality.

The distinction between 'high art' and 'craft object' is one of the ongoing debates in modern art practice. Ceramics has traditionally been associated with craft/object art
and is not, in the main, taught or recognized as a sculptural medium in the New Zealand Fine Art schools. Until recently few practitioners sought to challenge the prevailing viewpoint and their work was generally not represented in major galleries or entered in awards outside the craft/object category.
As an artist I find myself challenging this type casting of a material. My work has been shown to blur the line between what is recognised as 'fine art' and 'craft/object art. Like a growing number of contemporary ceramics practitioners, the work does not sit comfortably within the high art sector not the object art sector and points towards a new direction away from the former dichotomous framework.

Artistic History
In 1994 I graduated with a Craft Design Degree from Christchurch Polytechnic. In I 995 was awarded a Creative New Zealand grant for set up costs for new practitioners.
Since then I have been exhibiting my work within New Zealand and most recently at COCA gallery in Christchurch (under the emerging artist's scheme.)
Placing's in national art competitions include Portage Ceramic Awards 2004, 2003
MMC Awards 2002, and Waiheke Island Ceramic Awards.
I also have ceramic works for sale at various gallery/shop outlets, including Tamarillo, (Wellington), Gallery Oceanic (Queenstown) and Little River Gallery, ( Christchurch).

My next major project is a solo show with Milford Galleries Dunedin in August 2005. Intended work after that includes restocking works for sale at various gallery/shop outlets and a group show with Milford Galleries, Dunedin in October 2005.