Sue Hewat

Artist Statement:

I am a Canberra based ceramic artist and a recent graduate from the Australian National University. I hold a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours). My major work was completed within the ceramics workshop of the ANU School of Art.

My Honours practice-led research was an investigation into how I could use ceramic materials and techniques to represent the hybrid nature of the intertidal zone of the Australian beach.

My fascination with the intertidal zone of the Australian beach began when I was a child walking along the shore line gathering shells and trying to dodge the water as it ebbed and flowed. As an adult I still find myself being drawn into this experience every time I visit the beach. I am mesmerized by the temporal zones left behind; how those spaces are shiny as the incoming water reaches its destination then recedes to leave a line that fades and visibly sinks revealing a satin space, and finally a matte space that appears slightly hollowed. At this point deposited debris is exposed and the temptation to collect is real but the waves and water return and the process happens all over again. This act of renewal never quite matches the pattern of the previous action. This continuous and cyclic fluid process leaves traces and liminal spaces followed by replenishment.

I see parallels of pattern in all aspects of the environment, whether they be of the land or the sea. More recently I have adapted my work to encompass and explore visual links with other parts of the environment. I am drawn to the layers, lines, threads and traces that weave and connect, outline and define the landscape.