I am interested in portraying animals and birds on the point of action, poised between fight and flight. I find that using ‘naked clay’ suits my work, most particularly through saggar firing- the shapes I make are generally straightforward, but the flash of smoke or natural colourants on the forms gives them a sense of lift, spontaneity even. Saggars can incorporate natural materials such as pine-needles or sea-weed, giving an element of ‘eye of toad and wing of bat’ which recalls the natural world. I use a heavily cranked, low shrinkage stoneware clay which is excellent for hand-building, and fire it to 1180 degrees C.
- Email: kay.kennedy@zen.co.uk
