LiedtkeCeramics

The lowly brick is an underappreciated object. Commonly, it is a simple
rectangular form: six sides, parallel lines, ninety-degree angles, among millions of
others more or less identical to the last. Yet, that brick has purpose. That brick is
part of an idea greater than itself. It can be technologically designed to be the load-
bearing corner stone of a grand hall, or inevitably crumbling in the wall of a hut.
Architecture owes much to earth and to the materials out of which these building
blocks are made.
I am interested in how brickwork and architectural construction materials
relate to contemporary ceramic artwork. I work by molding and pressing and
cutting the clay to create forms that emulate or venerate basic architectural
building processes. The process of firing gives opportunities for surface drama, and
typically I’ve finished my work in a volatile wood fired atmosphere, but I’m
interested in what other firing temperatures and clay bodies could produce. I hope
to shed light on an otherwise neglected, but essential form.