Denise McDonald
Artist Statement:
I am a potter based in Sydney. I want to create practical and beautiful ceramic work that functions well and integrates into the daily lives of my customers.
Being handmade, every piece is unique in its details but collectable as sets.
I am interested in further exploring the relationship between handmade tableware and food culture. Food and ceramics are a natural partnership.
A word on Denise’s Flannel Flower range:
The flowers on this functional stoneware are our native Australian Flannel Flower, so named for its soft furry flannel-textured petals and leaves. It is common in bushland along the east coast of Australia.
The pattern you can see on this work comes from a 100 year old textured window glass from a Federation house in Randwick. I feel compelled to help this vintage architectural feature live on in a new contemporary context.
To achieve a reproduction of the design on my functional ceramics, I made a plaster cast of the glass surface. I press a slab of my clay onto the plaster so that the clay picks up the pattern. The flat piece of clay is then folded and shaped in various ways to achieve the finished forms.
Technical Details:
I fire my work to stoneware temperature 1200-1260C. This matures the clays I use and makes the wares non-porous, strong and chip resistant.
All glazed surfaces that could come into contact with food are food safe. They are lead and barium free.
I undertake production throwing, slab built functional wares, and small scale individual sculptures.
I fire in an electric kiln in suburban Sydney.