Weathered Forms

This body of work attempts to depict a collective relationship to coastal landscapes, as well as the artist’s own introspective memories of growing up near the coast. Weathered Forms was created in response to the distinct sea groynes in the artist’s homeland of Guernsey. The bizarre figures that protrude from the sand are implemented to control coastal erosion.

Slip-casted white stoneware clay serves as an ideal canvas for the unpredictable surfaces achieved through raku, smoke firing, and the absorption of rust post-firing. The displayed works are responses to the distinctive groynes, found on a beach the artist visited regularly during childhood.

Groynes collectively work to interrupt the natural flow of water, mitigating the movement of sediment. Despite the volatile tidal movements that surround them, they remain firmly anchored to the ground, demonstrating how inner stability can exist amid chaos. Though similar in structure, some of the forms have been eroded more than others. The unpredictably weathered surfaces reveal how exposure to the elements has altered the appearance of the forms—just as people, too, are shaped by the experiences that weather them.