What is a vessel?
Personally, this project became a vessel for knowledge. It caused me to push myself and push the boundaries of how I initially chose to explore the combination of clay and wool to make traditional vessels such as a vase or a bowl. However, I quickly pivoted and decided to create objects that, on the surface, don’t meet the traditional criteria of a vessel in the sense that they don’t hold anything. Through these, I posed the question: Is it still a vessel if it doesn’t serve an obvious function?
I saw wool. For example, as time went on, I chose to explore how the dyeing of wool is itself a toxic and dangerous process. This, to me, erodes some of the “activism” I am doing through the action of unfurling, as I am still contributing to an industry that puts workers' health at risk and damages the planet.
Through my different explorations and completed works, I pushed myself to look past the obvious meaning of “vessel” and explore what it could mean in different contexts. I am interested in continuing to explore the concept of a “vessel” and finding new ways to challenge myself in the future.
Happy Pills - medicine in the modern day
I chose to practice across a range of mediums focusing on painting as my core form of expression. I also like to explore ceramics, printmaking and glass. Painting is a medium that appeals to me as I find it easy to connect with my subject and depict my ideas in a clear and concise way.
I usually paint on canvas using acrylics and a range of mediums but also like to use paper. My artworks usually centre around an exploration of colour. Despite medium I will always use colour as a way of communicating my ideas to my audience.
My work is heavily influenced by my own battle with my mental health. Creative expression has become a way I have managed and coped with changes in my mood and mental state. I also try to use different mediums as a way of making sense of the challenges that I face.
I am naturally drawn to abstract landscapes inspired by growing up in Western Australia. I bring these to life through colour, exploring texture with medium and shape. I regularly use vivid colours such as pink and purple in order to blur the line between realism and abstraction.
