14/09/2026
‘Radiant silence’ is a quiet field of colour, movement and connection, held in clay.
Radiant silence, woven glazed ceramic sculpture, 48 x 34 x 6 cm, 2026
Currently on show at ‘What Surrounds It’ ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY in Connecticut, USA. Open until 26 September 2026, alongside Mary Little - Sculptor
Each ceramic weaving is unique, made through a dance with the material. I lay down strands to form the warp, then gently lift and thread through the weft, allowing the soft clay to twist, fold, fall, lift and break. The straight weave gradually falls away and becomes lost.
Each piece feels like a fragment, where soft gesture and movement are held hard: tighter waves and connections gather at the centre, giving way to irregular edges, loops and strands reaching out. There is no single focal point, but instead a careful balance, with many moments of connection happening simultaneously, allowing the eye to keep wandering across the surfaces.
In this colour field, I was exploring how pinks could be held by cool greys and neutrals, creating shifts in temperature that allow them to sing: warm coral, salmon, dusty rose, cream and ochre against pale grey-blue, slate and white.
Looking at the finished work, I realised the palette and glaze choices had been subconsciously infused with memories of exploring rocks and pebbles on the Scottish islands. I love watching dry stones become suddenly vibrant and glistening as waves pass over them, and have reflected this in the surfaces: some glazes are chalky, cloudy or speckled, as though weathered and eroded; others smooth and glistening.
I’ve also thought more about how the work is photographed, particularly because so many encounters with it happen digitally. It can be explored from many angles; close-ups allow the viewer to enter the weave rather than simply look at it as a whole, and make scale ambiguous. I wanted the work to feel kissed by warm morning light, with soft cast shadows activating the spaces between the forms.
