Bill Samuels
Finding Nore-3, Studio Road Series 2004
H: 30 cm
W: 25 cm
D: 25 cm
$3500
Maker's statement: At the moment I sit somewhere on the fence between pots and sculpture. Sitting on the fence gives you splinters in the bum!
Traditionally pots contain the form and space in all its glory, while sculptural form defines the space in which it exists.
A simple enough concept, but putting the idea into practice is challenging. That is why I am interested in the bowl. The openness of the form invites me to play with the space surrounding the work, which in turn challenges the nature of the bowl.
There are two other aspects that drive my work. The easy one to explain is my approach to materials. Over the years I have gravitated towards the use of unrefined materials for glazes and bodies. The idea of working directly with the landscape appeals to something in me. Recently, I bought a load of road base (weathered granite) to do some repairs around the studio, and the piece in this show is made from that material. There is just enough natural clay in parts of the gravel to form the work.
The other aspect is more complex and is about the things that inspire me. Three years ago I spent a short time in Norway and I revelled in the long human history that permeated the countryside. The early Protestant churches of the 11th and 12th century were simply magnificent. Their intimate scale and design and rich carvings were wonderful. In the church at Nore there was a 16th century baptismal font, which had been hacked from a pine tree with such love and directness, and which had all the unselfconscious attributes of absolute craftsmanship.
The piece in this show could not have been made without seeing that font.
