Artist Statement: Bas-Relief Tableaux

My work is about memory, essence and origins. Each tableau captures a time, and a set of relationships, in a symbolic and ever-changing ‘world’; a rendering of my vision, longings and sense of equilibrium.
A tableau is a dramatic scene or picture. The origin of the word is ‘tabula‘: a tablet used for paintings, inscriptions and memorial wall panels.These porcelain bas-relief tableaux are the result of a shared life and artistic partnership, which has spanned many years. This body of work continues to evolve; the seeds of its origin are found in the wood-ash glazes James and I developed in the early 1990’s, and a thematically related group of carvings I made in 1997 : ‘The Beginning of Her World’.
My first tableaux reflect an inner landscape, a world coming into being within mymind’seye. Symbolic images are arranged totem-like amongst rich textures and patterns; suggesting early language. Over time, a land appeared, firmament, a sense of place. As I continue to carve, and this world evolves, new possibilities are revealed. In this territory, I am creator, dreamer, and explorer. Sometimes I lose myself. The journey is challenging and exhilarating.
I often begin with sketches and notes to refine my ideas, and then work directly on the porcelain clay. I use a stylus to lightly ‘draw’, delineating different spaces, and then impress the borders of mountains, bodies of water and pathways with my thumbnail. I continue composing the piece, carving with a variety of hand tools, and impressing fired carvings, stones, shells, and lace into relief. The slabs of clay stretch while I work on them; when the surface is completed I carefully place each slab in a wooden frame, trimming and justifying each section so they will work together as a single piece. Close attention to drying and firing is necessary.
The colors come from our own wood-ash glazes. Wood is cleaned and burned, the ash is screened and test-fired. Small amounts of elements such as copper, cobalt, iron and titanium are blended with the wood-ash to form a glaze. Fired at high temperatures, the wood-ash fuses to become a glass, and the metallic elements fuse with the glass to form complex colorations and lustres.
James is my full-time partner and assistant. He facilitates the entire process, maintains the studio and equipment, prepares the slabs, processes ash and mixes glazes. James also designs and makes the unique wooden mountings, which make it possible to display these bas-relief tableaux.
Lisa TeviaClark